CAIR-MI Calls for Hate Crime Probe into Assault of 7-Year-Old Muslim Girl in Detroit
- Al Enteshar Newspaper –
Ismail Allison
The Michigan Chapter of Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is monitoring the case of an assault on a 7-year-old Yemeni-American Muslim girl in Detroit. During the assault which took place at a park on the North-West Side of Detroit, a Yemeni-American Muslim girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries to her neck after being attacked by a stranger. CAIR-MI is calling for a hate crime investigation into the incident.
According to news reports, Saida Mashra was playing in a busy park near her home when a 73 year old white man, Gary Lansky, approached her without warning, lifted her head and sliced her throat with a knife. Saida ran home and was taken to the hospital where she received treatment and was released. The assailant was arraigned on two separate charges the following day in Detroit’s 36th District Court.
See: ‘Just came out of nowhere’: 73-year-old man slashes 7-year-old girl at Detroit park | FOX 2 Detroit
CAIR-MI has spoken with the family and with the Detroit Police and is monitoring this situation carefully. Although at this time there is no evidence that this attack was motivated by hate, the assailant’s true motives remain unknown. CAIR-MI is calling on police and the prosecutor to conduct a thorough investigation into Gary Lansky’s motives for the attack.
In a statement, CAIR-MI Executive Director, Dawud Walid said,
“CAIR-Michigan is saddened to hear about the attack of 7 year old Saida while playing in a park near her home. Regardless of the motive, this attack was a senseless act of violence that will impact the lives of Saida, her family, and all of the other children who were in the park that day.”
“While the charges faced by Garly Lansky are serious, we urge the Detroit Police Department and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this matter to determine whether hate was a motivating factor in the attack.”
