As-salaamu alaykum,

Attacks on the American Muslim community and on Islam spiked in recent weeks -- forcing us to allocate additional resources to deal with this phenomenon and requiring a stepped-up level of support for CAIR's important work.

For example:

• Mosques in St. Cloud, Minn., have been repeatedly targeted by vandals and anti-Islam vandals targeted Muslims in a St. Paul, Minn., neighborhood.

The Minnesota vandalism comes following a string of apparent bias incidents targeting American Muslims.

CAIR worked with Muslim community and interfaith leaders, law enforcement authorities, public officials, and journalists in responding to these attacks.

These incidents include:

• the murder of a Muslim teen outside a Kansas City mosque by a man driving a vehicle covered in anti-Islam slurs,
  
• the beating of a Seattle Muslim taxi driver,
  
• desecration of Muslim graves in Washington state,
  
• vandalism at a San Francisco-area mosque,
  
• shots fired at another California mosque,
  
• a firebomb attack on a mosque in New Mexico,
  
• a threatening letter with an unknown substance sent to a San Diego mosque,
  
• and threats to CAIR's Houston office.
  

We cannot defend your rights and your faith from these increasing assaults without increased support from people like you.

There are many organizations deserving of your year-end donation, but CAIR is unique and in need of your support.

CAIR needs to raise $263,000 before the end of the year to fund our much needed work. I hope we can count on you.

I urge you to take advantage of the last days of 2014 to make a 100% tax-deductible (CAIR's TAX ID Number is 77-0646756), zakat-eligible donation to CAIR so that we may continue to defend American Muslim from being targeted by hate and to challenge the growing Islamophobia that leads to such incidents.

Every donation helps! Donate to CAIR today!

May Allah bless you and your family.

Thank you again,

Nihad Awad
CAIR National Executive Director

P.S. -- Please send this appeal to your friends and family, and post to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.