CAIR Calls for Hate Crime Probe of Fake Pagers, Israeli Military Sweatshirt Mailed to Palestinian-Owned Business in Baltimore
Al Enteshar Newspaper
Ibrahim Hooper
- October 17, 2024
- 2:08 pm
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the FBI to launch a hate crime investigation into an apparently bias-motivated incident targeting a small business in Baltimore.
Earlier this month, two packages containing fake pagers and a sweatshirt emblazoned with the logo of the Israeli military were mailed to a Palestinian-American owned business. The items, which appear intended to intimidate and provoke fear, were mailed following the wave of exploding pagers detonated by Israeli forces in Lebanon last month.
“CAIR strongly condemns this and all threats and acts of violence targeting our communities,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “This apparently bias-motivated act not only seeks to harass and intimidate the business owner and patrons, but it also sends a chilling message to Muslim and Arab communities at a time when they are already facing an unprecedented surge in bigotry and intolerance. We urge law enforcement authorities, including the FBI, to investigate this incident as a hate crime and take immediate action to protect the business owner’s safety, rights and well-being.”
CAIR is urging Baltimore City Police and the FBI to launch a thorough investigation into the incident which reflects a broader pattern of hostility and intolerance towards Palestinian Americans and the Muslim community at large.
The civil rights group expressed solidarity with the impacted business and underscored the need to address and combat all acts of hate and discrimination. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to assist in the investigation by notifying authorities.
In August, CAIR announced new civil rights data on issues impacting Muslim and Arab communities in Maryland. That data highlights a troubling trend in reports of discrimination, free speech violations, hate bias incidents and bullying, among other concerns. CAIR documented 413 cases of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian complaints, incidents and requests for assistance statewide in Maryland between January – June 2024
From January to June 2024, CAIR documented 4,951 incoming bias complaints nationwide, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2023.
SEE: New CAIR Data Shows Anti-Muslim, Anti-Palestinian Hate Remain Elevated in First Half of 2024
Earlier this year, CAIR’s national office released its 2024 civil rights report, which revealed the highest number of complaints it has ever received in its 30-year history. Titled “Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate,” the report documented 8,061 complaints. Nearly half of all complaints received in 2023 were reported in the final three months of the year.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
