CAIR Seeks Hate Crimes Charges for Wisc. Bias Attack

Assailant allegedly said 'f*** Osama Bin Laden' during beating

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called for federal hate crime charges to be filed against a man who allegedly said "f*** Osama Bin Laden" during an attack on a Wisconsin man of Moroccan heritage.

A police report on the Wednesday morning attack in Madison, Wisc., indicates that the 40-year-old victim was taken to a hospital with head injuries resulting from an "unprovoked downtown attack." A second victim, who was walking with the Moroccan man, was reportedly "punched, knocked to the ground, and kicked." Police arrested the alleged attacker, 21-year-old Derek J. Cannon, and tentatively charged him with substantial battery and disorderly conduct with a hate crime enhancement.

SEE: Incident Report for Case#2011-351259
http://tinyurl.com/cvq2kqr 

"These types of attacks are becoming all too frequent and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law as a clear demonstration that bias-motivated attacks will not be tolerated in Wisconsin or in America," said CAIR National Communications director Ibrahim Hooper. "We thank local law enforcement authorities for recognizing the seriousness of the incident."

Last week, CAIR called for similar hate crime charges against a man seeking to "save his country" by allegedly stabbing a faculty member of the University of Illinois College of Law who he thought was "Middle Eastern."

Earlier last week, CAIR contacted the FBI and local police to seek the investigation of a possible bias motive for the stabbing of a Sikh man at Fresno Yosemite International Airport in California. (Sikh men who wear beards and turbans are often targeted by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.)

Video: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Attack on Sikh in Calif.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCFAsWPNo1c 

Hooper noted that a Hindu man was assaulted last month in San Jose, Calif., by a group of men who called him a "terrorist."

SEE: San Jose Man Punched, Called 'Terrorist' on Grocery Trip to Lucky
http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_19448504 

A number of recent reports have documented the growth and promotion of Islamophobia nationwide.

CAIR: Same Hate, New Target
http://tinyurl.com/66enzm8
Center for American Progress: Fear, Inc.
http://tinyurl.com/7cozjxg
Southern Poverty Law Center: Jihad Against Islam
http://tinyurl.com/3qsv2v8
People for the American Way: The Right-Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism
http://tinyurl.com/6j9fttw

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. 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.

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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, or 202-488-8787, E-Mail:[email protected]; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations

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