March, 02 2015, 02:15pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Communications Coordinator Ruth Nasrullah, 713-838-2247 (office), 713-585-6314 (cell), rnasrullah@cair.com; CAIR-Houston Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll, 713-838-2247 (office), 832-549-1042 (cell), mcarroll@cair.com
CAIR-Houston Issues Community Safety Alert After Possible Threat to Mosque
HOUSTON
The Houston office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) today issued a community safety alert to Houston Muslims after an apparent threat was posted recently on social media promoting a lecture at the Masjid Hamza Islamic center in southwest Houston.
The threat stated: "Islam should be outlawed in the US, I'll be there to make sure you do not enjoy your 'event.' See you soon." Mosque officials immediately reported the message to the Houston Police Department and the FBI.
PHOTO:Screen Shot of Possible Threat
"In this time of increased anti-Muslim sentiment and a spike in incidents targeting Islamic institutions nationwide, the Muslim community must take threats like these very seriously," said CAIR-Houston Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll.
He noted that threats and hate incidents were reported recently targeting mosques, Islamic schools and Muslim communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Ohio, Illinois, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California, Washington, and other states.
SEE: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Threat to Iowa Mosque
CAIR-Houston recently issued a similar safety alert after arson at the Quba Islamic Center in southeast Houston.
SEE: Arson Suspected in Fire at Islamic Center Carroll urged community leaders to implement safety measures outlined in its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety," which was published in response to previous attacks on American mosques.
The booklet is designed to be used by mosque officials, Muslim school administrators and other community leaders and activists who seek to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities to bias-motivated attacks.
A free copy of CAIR's "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety," may be requested by going to: https://www.cair.com/mosque-safety-guide.html
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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