(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 2/8/2024) – The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) today welcomed charges brought against a man suspected of making Islamophobic and antisemitic threats to people over the phone.
A 50-year-old Philadelphia man has been charged with eight counts of interstate communication of threats for allegedly calling eight people and threatening to injure, rape and kill them. The threats were often Islamophobic and antisemitic in nature.
SEE: Caller masked his phone number when threatening Jews, Muslims
“No one should be subjected to such vile harassment on the basis of their faith,” said CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Ahmet Tekelioglu. “We thank law enforcement for apprehending the suspect before any of these threats became violent actions.”
He noted that CAIR recently released new civil rights data showing that it has received 3,578 complaints during the last three months of 2023 amid an ongoing wave of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, 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 Executive Director Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, PhD; 617-401-5397 (mobile), atekelioglu@cair.com.
