WICHITA, Kan. (Oct. 29, 2017) — The Kansas chapter of the Council on American — Islamic Relations (CAIR-Kansas) on Sunday condemned hate vandalism targeting an African-American church in Missouri.
Someone broke into the Concord Fortress of Hope Church in Kansas City, Mo., early Sunday morning, starting a fire and vandalizing the front doors and windows defaced with racist graffiti, the letters “KKK” and what appeared to be a Nazi swastika.
“We condemn this apparent hate attack on a house of worship and express our solidarity with the Christian and African-American communities at this difficult time,” said CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy.
CAIR and the American Muslim community have in the past expressed solidarity with Jewish, Christian, Native American, African-American, and Sikh communities in New Mexico, Florida, South Carolina, Maryland, Alabama, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Ohio, Texas, and other states following acts of hate, threats, violence, vandalism, arson, or bombings.
The Washington-based civil rights organization said it has witnessed an unprecedented increase in hate incidents targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump.
CAIR asks 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.
Because of the rise in hate incidents, CAIR recently launched an app to share critical “know your rights” information and to simplify the process to report hate crimes and bias incidents.
Download CAIR’s civil rights app at http://www.cair.com/app.
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.
