OHIO MUSLIMS ASSAULTED OUTSIDE MOSQUE

Rocks thrown at worshippers attending Ramadan prayers

(COLUMBUS, OH, 9/18/07) - The Ohio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) today called on the FBI to investigate a possible bias motive for an attack on Muslim worshippers at a Columbus mosque.

CAIR-OH says the worshippers were attacked as they attended prayers Friday night at Masjid As-Sahaaba marking the month-long fast of Ramadan. According to the police report, the attackers shouted “derogatory statements” and then began throwing rocks, injuring one person in the back and smashing two windows on the front of the mosque. The report states the incident was clearly a “biased attack on Muslim men leaving the mosque after prayer during the Ramadan season.”

To view the police report, go to:
http://www.columbuspolice.org/Reports/PublicReport.aspx?case=575331

“We hope that this was not a bias-related attack, but based on the police report, we urge the FBI to investigate this disturbing incident with that possibility in mind,” said CAIR-Ohio Staff Attorney Romin Iqbal.

CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 33 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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.