CAIR Demands Apology from NY GOP Senate Candidate for Linking New Mosque to Crime
(NEW YORK, NY, 8/16/16) – The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today demanded an apology from Wendy Long, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in New York for a series of tweets linking the conversion of a Catholic church in Syracuse, N.Y., into a mosque to crime in that community.
Long tweeted a photo of a boarded up house near Masjid Isa Ibn Maryam, which was converted from a Catholic church into a mosque last year. She tweeted: "Neighborhood where the mosque displaced the church. Crime, prostitution, money laundering."
She also tweeted a photo of two Muslim women walking down the street, with the text: "Catholic Charities takes federal tax dollars to resettle the refugees we can't screen. Leaves the Catholics to ISIS."
In another tweet with a photo of the mosque, Long wrote: "Welcome to Syracuse: Holy Trinity Church, beautiful church of German and Italian immigrants, is now a mosque."
According to the Syracuse Post-Standard: “Long said she had no independent proof that such crimes are on the rise in the neighborhood since the mosque opened. When asked if she believes there's a direct link between the rising Muslim refugee population and crime, Long said, ‘Probably not.’”
SEE: GOP Senate Candidate Wendy Long Links Rising Crime with Syracuse Mosque
“Once again we see a Republican candidate stoking anti-Muslim bigotry based on stereotypes and falsehoods,” said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher. “We demand that Ms. Long apologize for the harm she has done to the Syracuse Muslim community.”
Nasher noted that CAIR’s national office said yesterday that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s newly-announced proposal to subject immigrants to an ideological “test” is a violation of American values.
SEE: CAIR Says Trump’s Plan to Subject Immigrants to an Ideological ‘Test’ Violates American Values
CAIR is asking Muslim community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: www.cair.com/report
The Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization has expressed concern about a rising level of Islamophobia in American society prompted at least in part by public figures like Donald Trump and other GOP leaders.
Video: www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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CONTACT: CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com