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For Immediate Release
Contact:

CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper

Phone: 202-744-7726

E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com

CAIR Condemns State Department's Attempt to 'Whitewash and Excuse' Murder of Shireen Abu Akleh, Repeats Call for FBI Probe

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the State Department's attempt to "whitewash and excuse" the Israeli government's murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. CAIR also repeated its call for the FBI to launch an investigation into her death.

WASHINGTON

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the State Department's attempt to "whitewash and excuse" the Israeli government's murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. CAIR also repeated its call for the FBI to launch an investigation into her death.

In a statement issued yesterday, the State Department said that an analysis supervised by the U.S. Security Coordinator (USCC) into the origin of the bullet that killed Abu Akleh was "inconclusive." The USCC also found that gunfire from IDF positions was "likely responsible" for the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, but "found no reason to believe that this was intentional."

In a statement, CAIR Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:

"Racism and politics are now the only explanations for the State Department's latest attempt to whitewash and excuse the Israeli government's murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

"The State Department's ridiculous claim that there is no reason to believe that Israeli snipers were acting intentionally when they fired numerous shots at clearly-marked journalists defies eyewitness testimony, the findings of numerous media outlets and basic common sense.

"We again call on the Biden administration to order an independent FBI investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh's murder so that the Israeli snipers responsible for her killing can be identified and prosecuted, just as our nation would do with anyone else who murdered an American journalist overseas."

He noted that CAIR recently welcomed a call by 24 members of the U.S. Senate calling on the Biden administration to ensure direct U.S. involvement in the investigation of Shireen Abu Akleh's killing.

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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