DOWNLOAD “TARGETED” PDF
Report prompts increased calls for U.S. Supreme Court to rescind Muslim Ban after upcoming hearing
(Philadelphia, PA., 4/23/2018) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released a one-of-its-kind report offering data on the impact and legal pushback against anti-Muslim bias across the United States in the past year.
CAIR’s 2018 civil rights report finds that federal government agencies have instigated more than a third of all anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2017. Of these, 464 incidents were related to the Trump administration’s unconstitutional “Muslim Ban” executive orders. The new report, titled “Targeted,” also shows a 17 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents and a 15 percent increase in hate crimes in 2017 over the previous year.
“CAIR’s new civil rights report is a clarion call for people from all communities to step forward and oppose anti-Muslim hatred. Islamophobia is not a Muslim issue, but an issue determining the very future of American democracy and pluralism,” said CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender.
SEE: CAIR 2018 Civil Rights Report: Targeted
http://www.cair.com/images/pdf/CAIR_2018_Civil_Rights_Report.pdf
“Targeted confirms the suspicions of those who have observed this matter closely. Many have remarked, even if anecdotally, that the United States has witnessed a spike in the targeted harassment and discrimination against Muslims within the past few years, particularly with the political ascension of President Trump. Targeted empirically demonstrates how the Trump Administration has codified the flagrant bigotry and hateful rhetoric of his campaign into official US policy, which has further disenfranchised Muslims, immigrants, and other marginalized groups” said CAIR-Philadelphia Civil Rights Attorney Timothy Welbeck.
The most frequent types of incidents documented by CAIR in 2017 involved:
- Harassment, a non-violent or non-threatening incident of bias, at 14 percent of cases.
- Incidents in which the complainant was inappropriately targeted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, accounting for 13 percent of cases.
- Hate crimes, including physical violence targeting individuals and damage targeting property, making up 12 percent.
- Cases in which the FBI harassed or otherwise inappropriately targeted the complainant, constituting 10 percent.
- Employment discrimination — including denial of work, being passed over for promotion, or harassment by a supervisor or other senior staff — accounting for 9 percent.
The most prevalent triggering factor of an anti-Muslim bias incident in 2017 was the victim’s ethnicity or national origin, accounting for 32 percent of the total. The second most frequent trigger was the perpetrator’s perception of an individual as a Muslim – irrespective of the presence or not of an identifying marker such as attire. This trigger constituted 14 percent of the total cases. A headscarf on a woman was the trigger in 13 percent of incidents. The Muslim Ban executive orders made up the fourth most frequent trigger, at 10 percent.
The report dataset is drawn primarily from the intakes CAIR conducts each year. With each case, CAIR’s civil rights and legal staff seek to ensure the highest possible level of accuracy.
CAIR said it has witnessed an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president.
Community members are being urged to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR’s Civil Rights Department at 267-515-6710 or by filing a report at: https://pa.cair.com/report/
CAIR 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 enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: ?CAIR-Philadelphia Civil Rights Attorney Timothy Welbeck, 267-515-6710, twelbeck@cair.com; CAIR-Philadelphia Outreach and Education Director Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu 617-401-5397, atekelioglu@cair.com; CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender 267-515-6710, jbender@cair.com
