CAIR, CAIR Florida Submits Written Statement Highlighting Rise in Anti-Muslim and Anti-Palestinian Hate Crimes to Senate Judiciary Committee - CAIR Florida
Tuesday, 18 February 2025

CAIR, CAIR Florida Submits Written Statement Highlighting Rise in Anti-Muslim and Anti-Palestinian Hate Crimes to Senate Judiciary Committee

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(TAMPA, FL, 9/17/24) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and it’s Florida chapter (CAIR-FL), submitted a detailed written statement for inclusion in the official record of today’s U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “A Threat to Justice Everywhere: Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America.”

CLICK HERE: READ CAIR’S STATEMENT

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE HEARING

CAIR’s statement highlights alarming statistics on the rise of Islamophobic hate crimes, discrimination, and violence against American Muslims and Palestinians, particularly in the wake of Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and its expanding occupation and violence in the West Bank. The submission details disturbing incidents, including the brutal murder of six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadee AlFayoumi in Chicago, the firing of Muslim employees, policies of discrimination targeting students, and offers recommendations for addressing systemic discrimination and strengthening legislative protections for Muslim, Palestinian, and allied communities.

CAIR’s statement also calls for the adoption of H.Con.Res. 99 & S.Res.589, which honors Wadee AlFayoumi’s memory and recognizes his death as a hate crime targeting his Palestinian-Muslim identity.

CAIR has been working in collaboration with the Muslim Civic Coalition, one of the groups leading efforts to secure this hearing. CAIR plans to send staff to attend and observe the hearing in person and encourages the Muslim community to watch the hearing live online today at 10 AM ET.

CAIR-FL’s Media and Outreach Director Wilfredo Amr Ruiz said:

“For the past 11 months, the Muslim community and advocates for Palestinian rights in Florida are facing an unprecedented level of systemic abuse, threats and violence. The identified systemic violations occur amid efforts by the governor’s office, university administrators, law enforcement and now Congress to undermine constitutionally protected freedom of speech and the right to peacefully boycott. We also urge Congress to act decisively now to protect civil liberties, address systemic discrimination and ensure the safety of our youth.”

CAIR’s Director of Government Affairs Robert S. McCaw  who authored CAIR’s statement for the record, said:

“The Council on American-Islamic Relations commends the Senate Judiciary Committee for holding this crucial hearing on ‘A Threat to Justice Everywhere: Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America.’ We are gravely concerned about the rise in violent and deadly threats targeting American Muslims and Palestinian advocates, alongside ongoing efforts in Congress to undermine our communities’ rights to speak freely, protest, and boycott in defense of human rights, especially Palestinian human rights. We urge Congress to take decisive action to protect civil liberties, address systemic discrimination, and ensure the safety of all Americans.”

The statement draws on findings from CAIR’s latest civil rights reports, including the 2024 Civil Rights Report: Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate, which documents a 56 percent increase in Islamophobic incidents in 2023, and Hostile: How Universities Target Anti-Genocide Protesters While Enabling Anti-Palestinian Racism and Islamophobia, which outlines widespread discrimination against students and faculty advocating for Palestinian human rights on college campuses.

In 2022, CAIR submitted a similar written statement for the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing on “Discrimination and the Civil Rights of the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian American Communities.”

About CAIR-Florida:

CAIR-Florida is the state’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, foster dialogue, safeguard civil liberties for all, empower American Muslims, and form coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR-Florida 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.

END

CONTACT:
Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, CAIR-FL Media and Outreach Director, Ph. (305) 502-6749. E: [email protected]

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