WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 13, 2017) — A new FBI hate crimes report indicates that almost one-quarter of the victims of anti-religious hate crimes in 2016 were Muslim — showing a need for all Americans to stand up to increasing bigotry nationwide, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Monday.
According to the FBI report, Jews and Muslims were the two most common targets of religiously-motivated hate crimes. There were increases in reported hate crimes across the board compared to 2015. Anti-Muslim hate crimes rose by nearly 20 percent, anti-white by 17 percent, anti-Latino by 15 percent, and anti-Jewish by 3 percent.
In its report, the FBI notes: “In 2016, the nation’s law enforcement agencies reported that there were 7,615 victims of hate crimes.” The data also show that, “Of the 1,584 victims of anti-religious hate crimes” 24.5 percent were victims of anti-Islamic (Muslim) bias.
“We have all witnessed the anger and prejudice that characterized last year’s election season, and that is growing nationwide in the current political environment,” said Corey Saylor, director of the CAIR National Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia.”To reverse this disturbing trend toward increased hatred and societal division, we must stand up to bigotry and the targeting of minority groups.”
CAIR’s own preliminary data, derived from different sources than the FBI, reveals that so far, anti-Islam prejudice incidents are up 9 percent in the first three quarters of 2016 over the previous year. So far this year, the organization has recorded 195 anti-Islam hate crimes.
SEE: Anti-Muslim Bias Incidents in the Third Quarter of 2017
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.
