CAIR-NY Calls on Leaders to #StandWithIlhan After Trump’s Islamophobic Tweet Endangers Rep. Ilhan

CAIR-NY also called on Twitter to remove the video for incitement of violence

(NEW YORK, N.Y., 4/13/19) — The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned what it called a life-endangering tweet from President Donald Trump using shocking imagery from the September 11, 2001 terror attack that may incite violence against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN). CAIR-NY called on elected officials to use their platforms to publicly and vocally stand in support of Rep. Omar, one of the first American Muslim women elected to U.S. Congress.

Last night, Trump tweeted: “Never Forget!” along with a video repeating one sentence from Rep. Omar’s speech at an event last month hosted by CAIR’s Los Angeles office.

Trump's tweet comes just days after news reports of death threats targeting Rep. Omar as she finishes her first 100 days in office.

SEE: CAIR: Death threats pile up against Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar | City Pages

CAIR Calls on FBI to Take Seriously Threat to ‘Assassinate’ Minn. Rep. Ilhan Omar

CAIR-LA Condemns Bomb Threats Made on Event Featuring Rep. Ilhan Omar, Thanks LAPD

CAIR-NY Welcomes Arrest of Man Threatening to Kill Rep. Ilhan Omar; Decries Increased Islamophobic Environment

In a statement, CAIR New York Litigation Director Ahmed Mohamed said:

“Islamophobia is deadly. The President knows he is endangering lives and yet continues to place a target on Rep. Omar. His use of 9/11 imagery to incite violence against Rep. Omar is unconscionable and has no place in our politics. All New Yorkers, especially our political leaders, must reject this bigotry and #StandWithIlhan.”

Mohamed called on Twitter to remove Trump’s tweet.  “Twitter has a responsibility to remove violent content from its platform that violates its guidelines. Trump’s tweet is an incitement to violence against Rep. Omar and must be taken down,” he said.  

Mohamed also noted the full video of Rep. Omar’s speech has been available to the public for weeks.

SEE:  Rep. Ilhan Omar Speech - 4th Annual Valley Banquet 2019 | CAIR-LA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7INpvY0J0RI

The New York-based civil rights organization has witnessed an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president. CAIR-New York has repeatedly expressed concern about Islamophobic, white supremacist and racist Trump administration policies.

In a published report, CAIR noted a 17 percent increase in bias-motivated incidents and a 15 percent increase in hate crimes against American Muslims since Trump took office.

SEE: 2018 Civil Rights Report: Targeted

http://www.islamophobia.org/reports/224-2018-civil-rights-report-targeted.html

Muslim community members 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-NY is New York’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

END

CONTACT: CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com; CAIR-NY Litigation Director Ahmed Mohamed, 646-481-2103, ahmedmohamed@cair.com.