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(SACRAMENTO, CA, 6/24/17) -- The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) today thanked law enforcement authorities for "prompt and professional" action following two incidents near local mosques in which Qurans, Islam's holy text, were desecrated in apparent acts of intimidation.
Islamic Center of Davis
Friday night, during Ramadan "Taraweeh" prayers at the Islamic Center of Davis, someone threw a large quantity of pages torn out of a Quran while driving by in a car. The pages were littered around the mosque when police responded. This is the second time the Islamic Center of Davis has been subjected to a hate incident this year. In January, a woman broke the windows at the mosque and left bacon strips on the entrance handles.
SEE: Why former Google employee was set free for hate crime vandalism of Davis mosque
Masjid Annur - Sacramento
At some point before Saturday morning, a person burned a Quran and attached it with handcuffs to a chain link fence in the parking lot of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. The department is a direct neighbor with the Masjid Annur Islamic Center, located in South Sacramento.
"We thank all the officers involved in these investigations for their prompt and professional actions in responding to these troubling incidents," said CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra. "Decisive action by law enforcement authorities sends a strong message of deterrence to anyone who contemplates turning their bigoted views into acts of intimidation."
On Friday, CAIR launched a new civil rights app that gives users the ability to immediately report bias incidents they experience. The launch of CAIR's new app was promoted by an unprecedented spike in hate incidents targeting Muslims and other minority groups since the November 8th election.
SEE: U.S. Muslim Group Launches Cellphone App to Report Hate Crimes
CAIR is also asking American Muslims and Islamic institutions nationwide to take extra security precautions -- particularly at end-of-Ramadan Eid ul-Fitr holiday that begins Sunday -- and is offering Muslim community leaders free copies of its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety."
CAIR Asks Muslim Community to Step Up Security Measures for End-of-Ramadan Activities After Recent Attacks
Since the beginning of the year, CAIR has called for investigations of possible bias motives for dozens of other incidents targeting mosques in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Texas, and a number of other states. By comparison, in the January-March period in 2016, CAIR recorded 19 such incidents.
SEE: CAIR-NY Seeks Stepped-Up Protection for Mosques After 'Massacre' Threat Targeting Masjid Manhattan
The Washington-based Muslim civil rights group is asking Muslim community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR-SV's Civil Rights Department at 916-441-6269 or by filing a report at: ca.cair.com/sacval/report-an-incident
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.
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.
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CONTACT:
CAIR-SV Outreach and Communications Coordinator Muhammad Saifullah, 916-678-0752, [email protected]; CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra, 916 289-3748, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202.744.7726 [email protected]
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