The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on law enforcement authorities to investigate possible bias motives in two recent incidents involving Muslims in New York and Oregon.
CAIR’s New York chapter (CAIR-NY) has asked the NYPD Hate Crimes Taskforce to investigate a possible bias motive in the brutal beating of a Muslim man in East New York on Saturday. According to media reports, the 57-year-old man of Bangladeshi origin was jumped by four assailants who beat but did not rob him. The man’s daughter and nephew reported that the attackers referred to the his being Muslim at the start of the assault.
“Attacks motivated by racial or religious animosity are directed at entire communities,” said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif. “Such incidents should be investigated from all angles to serve as both a deterrent and repudiation of intolerance.”
CAIR also called on the FBI to investigate a possible bias motive for a bomb scare at a Muslim family’s home under construction in Oregon.
According to news reports, a 30-year-old Muslim man of Afghan origin was watching the house in Tigard, Ore., while his parents were away. He was woken Sunday night by the smell of gasoline and the sounds of intruders, who ran when the man yelled. He called 911 when he found the floors of the home covered in gasoline and a ticking device in one room.