Muslim shot after use of Arabic, Uzbek languages mocked
CLEVELAND , June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR- Cleveland ) today called on law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive in the shooting of an Ohio Muslim who was critically wounded.
Media reports indicate that a Muslim business owner was shot in the abdomen while pumping gas after work in Cleveland . Just prior to the shooting, the man and his son were allegedly taunted by a group of men after they heard the father and son speak to each other in their native Uzbek language and heard the father utter an Islamic prayer in Arabic. The group of men reportedly imitated the languages in a mocking manner. The shooting was caught on a surveillance camera.
SEE: Video - Businessman Shot While Pumping Gas Caught on Tape (Fox 8) http://tinyurl.com/45y8km
"The evidence in this disturbing case points to a possible bias motive that should be investigated thoroughly by local, state and national law enforcement authorities," said CAIR-Cleveland Executive Director Julia Shearson . "Bias-motivated attacks should not be tolerated in Ohio or anywhere in America."
Other similar incidents have targeted Muslim individuals and institutions nationwide.
In April, CAIR sought hate crime charges against the alleged perpetrator of a March "Molotov cocktail" attack on a Kansas Muslim.
SEE: Molotov Cocktail Hurled At Gas Station (KCTV)
http://www.kctv5.com/news/15721008/detail.html
That same month, CAIR's Minnesota chapter asked the FBI to investigate reported threats against the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy charter school in that state as possible hate crimes.
SEE: Muslim Civil Liberties Group Seeks FBI Probe of School Threats (Star Tribune) http://www.startribune.com/local/south/17673284.html
The Kansas assault and the threats to the Minnesota school came following other recent incidents such as a fire-bomb attack on a Minnesota Muslim-owned business and an arson attack on a Tennessee mosque by three members of the white-supremacist "Christian Identity" movement.
SEE: MN: Investigators Say Fire Could Be Hate Crime www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=24208&&name=n&&currPage=1&&Active=1
SEE ALSO: CAIR Applauds Arrests in TN Mosque Arson www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=24197&&name=n&&currPage=1&&Active=1
CAIR is urging Muslims nationwide to review security procedures using advice contained in CAIR's "Muslim Community Safety Kit."
SEE: CAIR Muslim Community Safety Kit http://www.cair.com/ActionCenter/CommunityToolKit.aspx
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 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.
CONTACT: CAIR-Cleveland Executive Director Julia Shearson , 216-830-2247, E-Mail: [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper , 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: [email protected]; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin , 202-488-8787, E-Mail: [email protected]
SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations
