CAIR-NY Seeks Stepped-Up Protection for Mosques After ‘Massacre’ Threat Targeting Masjid Manhattan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(NEW York, NY, 6/22/2017) – The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for increased police protection for New York mosques following an alleged threat against a Manhattan house of worship.
According to police, a letter received today by Masjid Manhattan threatened a massacre “on a scale never seen before.” The NYPD is currently investigating the threat, which appears to have been sent from London.
SEE: City Mosque Receives Letter Threatening a Massive Massacre
http://nypost.com/2017/06/22/city-mosque-receives-letter-threatening-a-massive-massacre/
SEE: Manhattan Mosque Receives Massacre Threat from London
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan-mosque-receives-massacre-threat-london-article-1.3268548
“We’re outraged that Muslim New Yorkers continue to be targeted for our faith,” said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher. “As the end of Ramadan approaches, and Muslims congregate at mosques and public spaces across our state, we call on law enforcement to increase protection at community gatherings and Islamic centers.”
“For too long, we’ve ignored the terrorist threat from anti-Muslim extremists,” said CAIR-NY Legal Director Albert Cahn. “We need our elected officials and law enforcement authorities to take seriously the very real threats and violence faced by the Muslim community.”
This is the latest in a series of incidents that have targeted Muslim New Yorkers and their mosques. Police are investigating last week’s brutal attack on a Bronx Muslim man as a possible hate crime.
SEE: Victim of Bronx Beating Says He Was Targeted For Being Muslim
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/06/19/bronx-muslim-attack/
Earlier this month, a Bronx Mosque was allegedly shot with pellet gun, reportedly hitting a Muslim man in the neck and shattering a window.
SEE: Bronx Mosque Targeted Three Times by Pellet Gun Shooter
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/bronx-mosque-targeted-times-pellet-gun-shooter-article-1.3241704
CAIR is also asking American Muslims and Islamic institutions to take extra security precautions – particularly at end-of-Ramadan activities -- and is offering Muslim community leaders free copies of its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety."
A hard copy of the booklet may be requested through CAIR's website.
It may also be viewed at:
Earlier this week, CAIR national office called on Muslim communities nationwide to step up security measures for end-of-Ramadan activities following a terror attack on Muslims outside a mosque in London, the murder of a Muslim teen near a Virginia mosque and the murder of two men who defended a Muslim being harassed in Oregon.
SEE: CAIR Asks Muslim Community to Step Up Security Measures for End-of-Ramadan Activities After Recent Attacks
Since the beginning of the year, CAIR has called for investigations of possible bias motives for dozens of other incidents targeting mosques in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Texas, and a number of other states. By comparison, in the January-March period in 2016, CAIR recorded 19 such incidents.
CAIR Seeks Stepped-Up Protection for Colorado Mosques Following Phone Threat
CAIR-NY recently released a report showing a 560 percent increase in 2016 anti-Muslim incidents in New York compared to the previous year. The same report showed that more than half of 2016 anti-Muslim hate crimes in New York occurred in the last 7 and a half weeks of the year, following Donald Trump’s election as President.
SEE: Press Release: Civil Rights Report 2017
https://www.cair-ny.org/news/2017/5/10/press-release-civil-rights-report-2017
Individuals in New York are asked to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR-NY at (646) 665-7599, or by filing a report at: https://www.cair-ny.org/incident-report/
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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