CAIR-WA Seeks FBI Probe of Anti-Muslim Attack on Sikh Cab Driver

Posted Oct 30, 2012      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version Bookmark and Share

CAIR-WA Seeks FBI Probe of Anti-Muslim Attack on Sikh Cab Driver


SEATTLE, Oct. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/—The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) called on the FBI to investigate an apparent anti-Muslim hate attack on a Sikh taxi driver in that state.

The driver was allegedly attacked by a man shouting anti-Muslim slurs after he commented on the cabbie’s turban. [NOTE: Sikh men who wear beards and turbans as part of their faith are often targeted by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.]  The perpetrator reportedly referred to the victim as Iranian and Iraqi, and used several anti-Arab slurs during the attack, which witnesses described as “savage.”  According to police, the alleged assailant tore out chunks of the man’s beard and loosened one of the driver’s teeth.

Police: Anti-Muslim Bigot Beat Sikh Cab Driver
http://tinyurl.com/9m82xco

“This vicious attack needs to be addressed by the FBI and federal prosecutors in the context of growing anti-Sikh and anti-Muslim prejudice nationwide,” said CAIR-WA Executive Director Arsalan Bukhari. “We have asked the FBI to open a federal hate crime investigation into this case.”

Earlier this month, CAIR-WA held a news conference in Seattle to call for a more thorough investigation of an emailed bomb threat sent last month to a mosque in the Seattle area.

Video: CAIR-WA Asks FBI to Arrest Man Who Sent Bomb Threat to Mosque
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUj2bZkYLfU

CAIR has in the past spoken out against bias-motivated attacks on American Sikhs.

Last year, CAIR offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals who gunned down two elderly Sikh men in Elk Grove, Calif.

SEE: Muslim Civil Rights Group Offers Reward for Info on Gunman in Deadly Shooting
http://tinyurl.com/49uz8ey
CAIR: Muslim Organization Offers Reward
http://tinyurl.com/4ky7tz5

In 2010, CAIR called for an FBI investigation of an attack on a Sikh cab driver in West Sacramento, Calif. The driver said his passengers made anti-Muslim remarks during the attack. Two men were later arrested on charges of felony assault and commission of a hate crime.

American Muslim institutions have been targeted during a recent spike in hate incidents. A mosque in Ohio was recently targeted by an armed arsonist.

Video: CAIR Director Speaks at Interfaith Rally for Burned Ohio Mosque
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Cv0ymf_uQ

In September, CAIR called on the FBI to investigate hate vandalism at mosques in Virginia and New York. In August, CAIR asked authorities to investigate a suspicious fire at a mosque in Minnesota.

CAIR: Burned Mosque to be Constructed Inside Joplin City Limits
http://tinyurl.com/9hqfl2b
CAIR Report: Thirteen Days in Ramadan 2012
http://www.cair.com/portals/0/pdf/Ramadan2012incidents.pdf
CAIR: Anti-Muslim Attacks Continue
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/05/anti_muslim_attacks_continue/
Mosques in the U.S. That Have Experienced Violent, Prejudiced, or Racist Incidents
http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/mosques_in_us_that_have_experienced_violent_or_racist_incidents1

Also last month, CAIR submitted written testimony for a Senate hearing on hate crimes and the threat of domestic extremism.

SEE: CAIR’s Written Testimony to Senate Hearing
http://tinyurl.com/9om5zmy

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