The following two items are reproduced from the Council on American Islamic Relations October 6 news brief:
VIRGINIA MUSLIM STABBED, CALLED 'TERRORIST PIG'
FBI urged to investigate attack on woman wearing head scarf
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/6/2003) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the FBI to investigate an attack Sunday on a Muslim woman in Virginia as a possible hate crime.
The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said the woman, who was wearing an Islamic head scarf, was attacked from behind in a K-Mart parking lot in Springfield, Va. The white male teenage attacker allegedly shouted, "you terrorist pig," before running away.
The 47-year-old convert to Islam was treated at a local hospital for a 2-3 inch deep wound on her lower back. She was released from the hospital later that same day. Lt. Butch Gamble of the Fairfax County Police Department told CAIR the incident is being treated as an "apparent bias crime.'
"Unfortunately, we are seeing a rise in Islamophobic attacks that parallels the ongoing right-wing campaign to demonize Muslims and Islam," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "This smear campaign is having an impact on those in our society vulnerable to the siren song of hatred and prejudice. As we have requested many times in the past, elected officials and other opinion leaders must speak out against this, and all other forms of religious intolerance."
Since the beginning of the year, CAIR has received a number of reports of physical assaults against American Muslims (or those perceived to be Muslim) and Islamic institutions. Those incidents included a recent arson attack on a Georgia mosque, a cross burning at a Maryland Islamic school, the kidnapping and beating of a Massachusetts pizza delivery man whose attackers thought he was Muslim, and the shooting of a Sikh man in Arizona who may have been mistaken for an Arab. Similar incidents have been reported in a number of other states.
Last month, CAIR demanded that federal terrorism charges be brought against an Illinois man who got off with just two years probation and "anger management" classes after he bombed a Muslim family's van. In Florida, a man was sentenced to just 12 years in prison for plotting to attack some 50 Islamic institutions in that state.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'IF STUPID BIGOTRY WERE A FELONY...'
Mark Shields, CNN CAPITAL GANG, 10/4/03
SHIELDS: And now for the "outrage of the week." The Council on American Islamic Relations took out a full page ad in "The New York Times" to condemn the attacks of September 11. And on that date since, has sponsored an interfaith day of National Unity in Washington. But nine term Republican Congressman Cass Ballenger of North Carolina says his marriage broke up because he lived next door to the Office of the religious group, which was so close to the capitol, he worried "they could blow the place up." If stupid bigotry were a felony, Congressman Ballenger would be doing long, hard time.
Why hasn't Cass Ballenger suffered the Trent Lott treatment yet? Has there been any pressure at all on Cass Ballenger to resign?
