CAIR 3rd Quarter Civil Rights Report Shows Rise in Hate Crimes Over Same Period Last Year, Moderate Decline in Total Cases

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest civil rights and advocacy group, today released a quarterly civil rights report documenting 354 incidents of anti-Islam religious bias during the third quarter of 2017.

In its third quarter update, CAIR documented a decrease in the overall number of anti-Muslim bias incidents as compared to the first and second quarters. (354 incidents in Q3, as compared to 451 in Q2 and 851 in Q1) However, bias incidents rose 9 percent in the first nine months of 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016.

Hate crimes were the most frequently documented type of bias incident, with 61 cases in the third quarter of 2017. This number was comparable to previous quarters, so while overall cases are down, the number of hate crimes remained steady.

The most likely location for the occurrence of a bias incident was an air/bus/train terminal, with ethnicity or national origin being the most common factor identified as triggering the incident. People of Middle Eastern or North African descent were the most frequent targets of bias.

CAIR: Anti-Muslim Bias Incidents in the Third Quarter of 2017
http://islamophobia.org/articles/222-anti-muslim-bias-incidents-in-the-third-quarter-of-2017.html   

"The fact that hate crimes are now the most frequent type of bias incident we document is deeply concerning, "said Zainab Arain, coordinator of CAIR's National Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia. "The moderate decline in reported bias incidents in the third quarter of this year does justify wary optimism."

Since January 2017, CAIR has released preliminary Islamophobia data every three months.

SEE: Anti-Muslim Bias Incidents 2017 Quarter One Update
http://www.islamophobia.org/articles/204-anti-muslim-bias-incidents-2017-quarter-one-update.html

Civil Rights Data Quarter Two Update: Anti-Muslim Bias Incidents April -- June 2017
http://cair.com/press-center/press-releases/14476-cair-report-shows-2017-on-track-to-becoming-one-of-worst-years-ever-for-anti-muslim-hate-crimes.html

In May, the organization released civil rights data covering 2014-2016. 

The Empowerment of Hate: The Civil Rights Implications of Islamophobic Bias in the U.S. 2014-2016
http://islamophobia.org/reports/188-the-empowerment-of-hate.html

CAIR said it has witnessed an unprecedented increase in hate incidents targeting members of minority groups since the election of Donald Trump.

CAIR: 2017 on Track to Becoming One of the Worst Years Ever for Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes
http://islamophobia.org/articles/209-2017-on-track-to-becoming-one-of-the-worst-years-ever-for-anti-muslim-hate-crimes.html

The Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization urges community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/report       

CAIR recently launched an app to share critical "know your rights" information and to simplify the process to report hate crimes and bias incidents. CAIR is urging American Muslims and members of other minority groups to download the app and utilize this resource to stay informed and empowered.

For a quick download of CAIR's civil rights app, click here: http://www.cair.com/app

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 mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational                      
Subscribe to CAIR's Email List
http://tinyurl.com/cairsubscribe               
Subscribe to CAIR's Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational                   
Subscribe to CAIR's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/cairtv            

 CONTACT: CAIR National Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, [email protected]; CAIR National Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia Coordinator Zainab Arain, 424-204-2436, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Related Links

http://www.cair.com