Anti-Chineset flyers tarnish Brooklyn neighborhood

ASAM NEWS

Asian Americans in Brooklyn say they are dismayed, but not surprised about the anti-Chinese flyers being plastered in South Brooklyn.
The flyers read “Chinese are destroying Bay Ridge…coronavirus spread by Chinese immigrants.” It blames the Chinese for ruining the housing stock, opening dirty Chinese restaurants and running prostitution from massage parlors.

“It’s not enough to just remove these postings,” Jade Jiang, a local resident, said to the Brooklyn Reporter. “We can’t just sweep it under the rug and hope people eventually do better. I’ve reached out to the councilman and senator as well. I think it’s a shame that people are more and more brazen with their displays of racist attitudes. With so much going right now, this is the least productive thing someone can do.”

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force and the 68th Precinct are now investigating who printed and posted the flyers. The task force was formed in the midst of the pandemic because of the rash of attacks against Asian Americans.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations New York chapter also spoke out.

“Ever since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, CAIR-NY has been appalled by the rampant threats, attacks and racist abuse of Chinese and other East-Asian communities in New York City and nationally,” the group said on Facebook. “These hate incidents have now become commonplace, and we find this intensifying language extremely dangerous. CAIR-NY stands in solidarity with the Asian community and calls for an investigation into the origins of this poster.”

New flyers proclaim the neighborhood "does not welcome racists."

Residents of the neighborhood have torn down the offensive flyers. In response, someone has been posting up a new set of flyers to counter the racist flyers. The new flyers read in all capital letters, "Bay Ridge does not welcome racists" and declares, "We honor all of our community members & love each other. There is no place for hate in the community!"

Asian Americans make up 15 percent of the population of Bay Ridge, according to the 2014-2018 American Community Survey.

Jiang hopes some good comes out of the bad.

“I think it’s more important to have a conversation and learn through our differences,” she said. “More often than not, people learn that we actually have much more in common and find much common ground.”

Arson suspect arrested in connection to fire at a Missouri mosque.

SCREEN CAPTURE / KFVS

Police believe the fire at the Islamic Center was arson.

ASAM NEWS

Police have arrested a suspect in connection to last week's attempt to burn down the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Officers say 42-year-old Nicholas Proffitt of Cape Girardeau was arrested Monday. The suspect is charged with felony burglary in the 1st degree, felony arson in the 1st degree, and charged with the hate crime of property damage in the 1st degree, which is enhanced because Proffitt was motivated to commite the crime by the religion of the people who worship at the Islamic Center.

"To people of faith in our nation, houses of worship are sacred places,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “Attacks against houses of worship are attacks against people of faith and their right to exercise their religion freely and without fear. The Justice Department will defend the right of all people in our country to exercise their religion, no matter the creed.”

The timing is especially significant because the fire was started on the first day of Ramadan, a Muslim holy month. The fire began at the front door of the building, according to the Missouri chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an advocacy group.

Twelve to 15 people were evacuated and uninjured, according to state officials. Meanwhile, the building itself was “extensively damaged,” including the front entrance and the second floor, Fire Chief Travis Hollis said.

The fire at Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau is currently being investigated by the Federal Bureau Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, as well as the state’s fire marshal, as a potential case of arson, according to Al Jazeera.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson took to Twitter to condemn the fire.

“In Missouri, we won’t tolerate an attack on any house of worship,” he said. “This was a cowardly act.”

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Who is impacted or exempt from Trump's new immigration ban?

Agricultural workers are considered "essential" and are exempt from the immigration ban.

The executive order temporarily curtailing the issuance of certain immigrant visas affecting thousands of would-be immigrants was signed by Donald Trump Wednesday (April 22) as details were revealed by the White House. 

The 60-day "pause" for immigrants was spurred by huge spike of unemployed workers caused by the shelter-in-place mandates to battling the cornavirus pandemic that has taken 40,000 lives in the US.

Trump's immigration order is being seen as another attempt to further attempt  to implement his restrictive immigration reform policies, mostly aimed at slowing immigration from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Asian countries such as China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam provide the most immigrants to the US. Some immigrant applicants have to wait up to two decades for a visa.

“While the order is limited in scope, President Trump’s transparent attempt to distract from his own failures with this unwarranted suspension will cause real pain for families and employers across the country," said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.

Attorneys at Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus and the Council on Arab-Israli Relations (CAIR)-San Francisco Bay Area, issued an advisory on who the new mandate will affect.

"In a blatant attempt to pit communities of color and immigrants against one another, the Proclamation exploits the record levels of unemployment caused by the pandemic, to restrict immigration under the guise of protecting workers and minorities.," said the two advocacy groups said in a statement. "Targeting immigrants does nothing to achieve economic justice and only further marginalizes and dehumanizes our immigrant communities." 

The Ban is supposed to last for 60 days (until June 22, 2020), after which it may be extended and begins 11:59 p.m. EDT today (April 23).

Following is the joint advisory (Note: Information is subject to change.):

Who is Impacted Under the Ban? 

Any foreign national seeking to obtain an immigrant visa to enter the U.S. who: 

● Is outside the United States at 11:59pm on April 23, 2020; and ● Does not have a valid immigrant visa in their passport as of 11:59pm on April 23, 2020; and ● Does not have another valid official travel document, such as a transportation letter, a boarding foil, or an advance parole document.

This means that nearly all parents and adult children of US citizens, spouses and children of green card holders, and applicants for most employment based immigrant visas will not be able to obtain immigrant visas to enter the US for the duration of this ban.

Workers considered necessary to fight the coronavirus, such as health workers, are exempt from the new rule.

The Ban does not apply to: 

● US Citizens ● US Lawful Permanent Residents (current Green Card holders) ● Individuals entering the US on non-immigrant visas ● Individuals who are present in the US and applying for adjustment of status ● Individuals entering on immigrant visas as medical professionals ● Those seeking entry to the US to do COVID-related work, and their spouses and unmarried children under 21 years old ● Individuals seeking to enter on the EB-5 Immigrant Investors Program ● Spouses and children under 21 years old of US Citizens ● Individuals “whose entry would further important United States law enforcement objectives” ● Members of the US Armed Forces and their spouses and children ● Nationals of Afghanistan and Iraq who are entering the US on Special Immigrant Visas for having served as interpreters for the US Armed Forces, and their spouses and children ● Those seeking asylum, refugee status, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) ● Anyone whose entry is deemed to be in the “national interest”

The two agencies urges people to contact their Congressional representatives to express their opposition to Trump's orders.

For more information or to seek legal assistance free of charge, contact the organizations:

● CAIR SF Bay Area: 408.986.9874 or online at: bit.ly/cairsfbaimmigration

● Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus: 415.848.7733 or online at: bit.ly/TravelIntake 

Delta Airlines penalized $50K for discriminating against Muslims

ASAM NEWS

The US Department of Transportation fined Delta Air Lines $50,000 fine last week for two cases of discrimination against Muslim passengers.

The two alleged incidents took place in 2016. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) requested a federal investigation into one of them, involving a U.S. couple of Pakistani descent, according to The Philadelphia Tribune. The passengers, Faisal and Nazia Ali, were headed home to Cincinnati after a trip to Paris, when a passenger told a flight attendant that their behavior made them “nervous.”

Flight attendants claimed that Faisal Ali was acting suspiciously, sweating and hiding his cell phone. They reported the couple to the captain who then had the Alis get off the plane to take an alternative flight. The couple was cleared by a security officer.

However, the captain refused to allow them back on the flight “because the flight attendants were not comfortable” having them onboard,” the Philadelphia Tribune reported. The couple was later able to board another flight the next day without further security screening.

The second instance involved a “Mr. A,” where a similar situation occurred, with passengers and airline employees reported suspicious behavior, and the captain had him removed and put on a later flight, according to Delta’s consent order.

In both instances, the passengers’ records had “no red flags.”

WVXU

Faisal and Nazia Ali

“Delta disagrees with the Department’s contention that it engaged in discriminatory conduct. While Delta does not dispute that each of these two incidents could have been handled differently, Delta asserts that this fact does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that Delta acted improperly,” Delta responded in the consent order.

The airline added that it “asserts that it has learned from the two incidents at issue here, and has improved its processes because of them.”

The Department of Transportation ordered the airline to revamp their service training and have employees retake such classes, including civil rights training, the consent order states.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations applauded the decision.

“We welcome this decision by the Department of Transportation, which determined that our clients’ removal from the flight was discriminatory and based on their perceived religion,” said CAIR-Ohio Civil Rights Attorney Sana Hassan in a statement. “We hope that this DOT order sends a message not just to Delta, but to all airlines, that discriminatory treatment of passengers on the basis of their race, religion and national origin is illegal and will not be tolerated.”

She added that the organization has a “Know Your Rights” pamphlet in multiple languages — including English, Arabic, Somali, Urdu, Farsi, Bengali, and Bosnian — for these situations.

Sunday Read: California Muslim students more likely to be bullied in school

Muslim students in California continue to report being bullied or harassed at a higher rate than other students in the state and the country, according to a new report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The CAIR report, "Singled Out: Islamophobia in the Classroom and the Impact of Discrimination on Muslim Students,"  released Wednesday (Oct. 16) reveals that Muslim students are bullied at twice the rate of the national statistic.

While the report shows some hope that there is a decline in bullying, CAIR-Greater Los Angeles' Senior Civil Rights Attorney Patricia Shnell, Esq., the lead editor of the report., said, "Muslim students still report bullying at alarmingly high rates, and there is a need to continue to advocate for students at the federal, state and district levels, so that everyone has uninterrupted access to their education, regardless of their religion or background."

“I was in second grade when I first decided to wear a headscarf (hijab). Three days after my decision, a classmate attacked my new appearance by implying that I was connected to Osama Bin Laden," said Anoosh Ali, 18, a first-year student at Sierra College. She was so traumatized she never wore a hijab again until last year. "It took me 10 years to get over the shattering effects that bullying had. Ten years!"

SCREEN CAPTURE

At a press conferencee, Anoosh Ali relates how traumatic bullying can be for a young Muslim student.

The report, is based on findings from a statewide survey of approximately 1,500 Muslim students between the ages of 11 and 18. This report is the fourth in CAIR-CA's series of biennial reports documenting the rates of bullying of Muslim students in California.

Each report is based on a survey which asks Muslim students across the state about how they perceive their school environment and the type of bullying and/or discrimination they have experienced at school, as either a target or bystander.

According to the responses received for the new report, 40% of respondents reported being bullied for being Muslim, which is double the national statistic for students being targets of school bullying.

Key findings illustrate minimal improvement in school environments for Muslim students.

While 72% of Muslim students reported feeling comfortable letting others know they were Muslims, that percentage is down from the 2016 survey, when 77% of respondents felt the same.

Seventy percent of respondents felt safe, welcomed and respected in their schools, just 1% higher than as reported in 2016. However, looking at the wider trend among CAIR-CA surveys, the number of Muslim students who report feeling safe, welcome and respected at their schools has declined 13 percentage points since 2014.

The survey also considered gender-based differences in survey responses. More female students reported experiencing bullying, with 44% of female respondents reporting being bullied compared to 37% of male respondents.

In addition to analyzing gender-based differences, CAIR-CA also focused on age-based differences. The data revealed that high school-age student respondents were bullied at a higher rate than lower grades, with 48% of 12th-grade respondents reporting being bullied, the highest rate based on age/grade.

To comply with that law, Assembly Bill 2291, the California Department of Education posted online an anti-bullying training module that schools must offer to teachers and other employees who have regular interaction with students.

“In the era of Trump and abhorrent attacks on our immigrant communities, the fact that 40% of Muslim students have faced bullying is extremely troubling, but not surprising," Chiu said in a statement. "Moving forward, we will be monitoring this issue and working with advocates to see what steps can be taken to make sure all students feel safe and welcome at school.”

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Young girl forced to take off her hijab before boarding her flight

TWITTER

Fatima Abdelrahman says she feld "degraded" after being ordered to remove her hijab at a San Fraincisco airport.

Even though the 12-year old had already gone through airport security screening, Air Canada employees insisted that the Muslim American youngster to take off her hijab before boarding her flight.

Fatima Abdelrahman, a member of the US national junior squash team, had already gone through airport security  at San Francisco International Airport and was waiting at the Air Canada gate to board her flight early last month.

Air Canada employees ordered the youngster to take off her hijab in full view of San Francisco International Airport employees and passengers  on her way to Toronto to represent the US airport. She requested a he young girl requested a private screening room.

“The Air Canada agent said you need to take that off — he pointed at my scarf — and I said I can’t and he said you have to,” Abdelrahman told CBS television affiliate KPIX in a video call.

“Taking it off isn’t just like taking off a sock or taking off whatever, it’s almost like taking off a limb. It’s a big deal to me. It’s part of my Muslim identity and who I am as a person. So when someone tells me to casually take it off and hurry up, it’s degrading,” she said.

Fatima explained that she wears the head covering for religious reasons and repeatedly requested for a private screening area. However, Air Canada employees denied the request and forced her to publicly remove her hijab. According to Homeland Security policy, an individual can request a private screening when asked to remove a piece of clothing.

The Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights agency, is launching a formal civil rights complaint against the airline, according to the Toronto Star.

“CAIR-SFBA (San Francisco Bay Area), along with our client, are committed to ensuring that in the future individuals hoping to travel with Air Canada or other airlines are not subject to differential treatment based on their religious beliefs and how they choose to observe their faith,” said CAIR-SFBA’s Civil Rights & Legal Services Coordinator Ammad Rafiqi, in a statement.

“We hope Air Canada will show responsibility by coming to the table in good-faith to ensure that Fatima is made whole for having her right to privacy violated and the ensuing distress she felt during the trip."

Air Canada apologized to Fatima's family and said it is investigating the incident.

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Muslim Amrericans on high alert after New Zealand shootings; suspect praises Trump

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Scene from one of the mosques where the shootings occurred.

ASAM NEWS &

VIEWS FROM THE EDGE

Muslim Americans are urging vigilance in the wake of a deadly shooting during worship at two mosques in New Zealand that left at least 49 dead.Brenton Tarrant, the Australian suspect who claimed responsibility for the New Zealand shootings that killed at least 49 people in two mosques wrote a 70-page anti-immigrant manifesto calling himself a racist, ethno-nationalist and fascist. He also called  Trump a symbol of "renewed white identity." 

Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group, issued a statement saying “as Muslims across the world and across America gather to worship today (March 15), we urge them to stay vigilant and strong.”

The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is issuing a “call for national action to challenge growing Islamophobia, White supremacy and anti-immigrant bigotry.”

“We mourn the heartbreaking killings of men, women and children gathered for prayer in their houses of worship and urge leaders in our nation and worldwide to speak out forcefully against the growing anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hate that appears to have motivated these White supremacist terrorists. In the wake of this tragedy, we urge mosques, Islamic schools and other community institutions in the United States and around the world to take stepped-up security precautions, particularly during times of communal prayer.”

Muslim Advocates echoed that sentiment, pointing out recent incidents of violence against Muslims in Bloomington, Minnesota; Austin and Victoria, Texas; Bellevue, Washington; and Thonotosassa, Florida. In addition the group said authorities were able to stop other planned attacks in Islamberg, New York; Jacksonville, Florida; and Garden City, Kansas.

“We are devastated. Today is a tragedy not just for Muslims, but for all people of faith and goodwill. A house of worship should be a sacred place where people are safe, not a target of hate and bloodshed,” the group said.

The shooters live stream the shooting at social media. Three men and one woman are under arrest, according to USA Today.

WJLA reports police in Los Angeles, New York and Minneapolis have increased security around mosques.

In Philadelphia, KYW reports police have boosted patrols around both mosques and synagogues. ABC reports similar security efforts are being taken in San Francisco.

“The atrocity in New Zealand shows us, once again, that we’re dealing with an international terrorist movement linked by a dangerous white supremacist ideology that’s metastasizing in the echo chambers of internet chat rooms and on social media networks," said Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.

Trump has condemned the attack but when asked Friday (March 15) but appeared to downplay the role of white nationalism, reminiscent of his statement after a white nationalist killed a anti-fascist protestor. Trump said that there were "fine people on both sides."

When asked about the growth American-style white nationalism in the New Zealand killings,  Trump said in the Oval Office, "I don't really." "I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess."

"So here’s the thing—it’s so terrible what’s happening,” Trump said before discussing his supporters. “You know, the left plays a tougher game, it’s very funny. I actually think that the people on the right are tougher, but they don’t play it tougher. Okay?"

Trump's critics accused him of fomenting violence by his backers. A day before the New Zealand shooting, he was saying how tough his supporters were and how they might react violently if Trump's domestic policies are not followed or overturned.

“I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of Bikers for Trump,” he said. “I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad,” he told Breitbart News, a  conservative news outlet.

"I think it sounds very much to me like he’s encouraging them to engage in something that’s probably illegal such as assaulting people, you know behave in a dangerous way," said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, speaking on MSNC. "That sounds like a threat to me. I think it’s appalling.”

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Sunday Read Hate crimes rising, says FBI report

GRAPHIC FROM TWITTER

IN 2017, DONALD TRUMP'S first year in office, the number of hate crimes jumped up 17% from the previous year for a total of 7,175 hate crimes, the highest increase since 9/11.

It was the third year in a row that the FBI Hate Crimes Report has shown an increase. Part of the reason for the hike in hate crimes is that 1000 more jurisdictions are taking part in the voluntary program.
However, given that reporting hate crimes to the FBI is not mandatory, the FBI statistics likely represent only a fraction of such violence. Civil rights groups link the increase to Donald Trump statements and policies.

The report released Monday (Nov. 12) found that the majority of hate crime perpetrators were white, 50.7% followed by African Americans 21.3%.

Of the 4,832 single-bias hate crime offenses were motivated by race/ethnicity/ancestry, 3.1% were directed against Asians.

Of those hate crimes motivated by religion, the majority, 58%, were directed at those of the Jewish faith. Anti-Muslim, anti-Sikh and anti-Buddhist, faiths usually associated with Asians and Asian Americans, were targetted in 21% of the hate crimes.

"This report is a call to action—and we will heed that call," said Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. "The Department of Justice’s top priority is to reduce violent crime in America, and hate crimes are violent crimes. They are also despicable violations of our core values as Americans,” 

WIKIPEDIA

Some say Donald Trump's rhetoric has emboldened racist movements in the United States. He said that "there were fine people on both sides," when he addressed the Charlottesville violence.

“I am particularly troubled by the increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes—which were already the most common religious hate crimes in the United States—that is well documented in this report.“

As alarming as the hate crime stats are, the actual number is likely much, much higher because of inconsistencies of the definition of hate crimes among the different agencies that choose to report the incidents. Also, not all law enforcement jurisdictions bother to gather the stats or even to report them to the FBI.

The Anti-Defamation League said some police departments in major U.S. cities didn’t report hate crimes as part of the annual report, including the Honolulu Police Department, Indianapolis Police Department and police in Kansas City, Kansas. Other departments, like the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and police in Miami, Florida and Newark, New Jersey, reported zero hate crimes.

There were also notable hate crimes missing from the FBI report. 

For instance, the murder of Indian American tech worker Srinivas Kuchibhotla is missing. According to FBI statistics, no hate crimes were reported last year in Olathe, Kansas. But on February 22, 2017, Kuchibhotla was killed at a bar in Olathe when a man shot him because of his perceived national origin. His friend Alok Madasani was also targeted but survived the shooting, as did a man named Ian Grillot who attempted to intercede.

The shooter, Adam Purinton, was convicted on federal hate crime charges but the local law enforcement agency didn't officially report it to the FBI as a hate crime. The FBI depends on those local agencies to report hate crimes in their jurisdictions.

Another example that was included in the FBI report was the car attack in Charleston that killed Heather Heyer. Heyer, who was protesting against the Unite the Right demonstrators, was killed when white supremacist James Allen Fields, Jr. drove his car into a crowd.

Although Fields was convicted of a hate crime under state law but authorities failed to include the incident to the Feds as a hate crime.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring on Thursday unveiled legislation aimed at preventing hate crimes and white-supremacist violence as reports of such incidents increase around the country.

It is his third attempt to pass similar legislation. The proposals have so far been blocked by Republicans in the state legislature concerned that they were overly broad and restricted gun rights.

"It is well past time to acknowledge the threat posed by hate and white-supremacist violence and take action to stop it," Herring said.

Next year, FBI personnel will provide training for law enforcement officers on how to identify bias-motivated incidents and report that data to the FBI’s UCR Program. Additionally, the Department of Justice launched a new hate crimes webpage, which has information for law enforcement on reporting incidents.

Some of the highlights of the FBI report includes the following:

Of the 6,370 known offenders: 

• 50.7% were White 
• 21.3% were Black or African American 
• 19.1% race unknown 
• Other races accounted for the remaining known offenders

Of the 5,131 known offenders for whom ethnicity was reported: 

• 25.0% were Not Hispanic or Latino
• 8.8% were Hispanic or Latino 
• 1.6% were in a group of multiple ethnicities 
• 64.5 ethnicity unknown 

In 2017, law enforcement agencies reported that 4,832 single-bias hate crime offenses were motivated by race/ethnicity/ancestry. Of these offenses:

• 48.8 percent were motivated by anti-Black or African American bias.
• 17.5 percent stemmed from anti-White bias. 
• 10.9 percent were classified as anti-Hispanic or Latino bias. 
• 5.8 percent were motivated by anti-American Indian or Alaska Native bias. 
• 4.4 percent were a result of bias against groups of individuals consisting of more than one race (anti-multiple races, group). 
• 3.1 percent resulted from anti-Asian bias. 
• 2.6 percent were classified as anti-Arab bias. 
• 0.4 percent (17 offenses) were motivated by bias of anti-Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 
• 6.5 percent were the result of an anti-Other Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry bias. 

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,679 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-biased offenses showed:

• 58.1 percent were anti-Jewish. 
• 18.7 percent were anti-Islamic (Muslim). 
• 4.5 percent were anti-Catholic. 
• 3.2 percent were anti-multiple religions, group. 
• 2.4 percent were anti-Protestant. 
• 1.8 percent were anti-Other Christian. 
• 1.4 percent were anti-Sikh. 
• 1.4 percent were anti-Eastern Orthodox (Russian, Greek, Other). 
• 0.9 percent (15 offenses) were anti-Mormon 
• 0.9 percent (15 offenses) were anti-Hindu. 
• 0.8 percent (13 offenses) were anti-Jehovah’s Witness. 
• 0.5 percent (9 offenses) was anti-Buddhist. 
• 0.5 percent (8 offenses) were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc. 
• 4.9 percent were anti-other (unspecified) religion.

Civil rights organizations that maintain their own data on hate crimes, such as the ACLU,  the Anti-Defamation League, Southern Poverty Law Center, Council for American-Islamic Relations and South Asian American Leading Together mention the harsh rhetoric coming from the White House and Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric as a catalyst for behavior based on prejudice.

“While everybody should be horrified by these jaw-dropping statistics, these numbers still fail to paint a complete picture of the enormity of the problem,” said Sikh Coalition Legal Director Amrith Kaur.


The omission of the Kuchibhotla murder was spotlighted by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) in its critique of the report. 

In SAALT's 2018 report Communities on Fire report found that perpetrators of hate violence referenced Trump, a Trump administration policy, or a Trump campaign slogan in one out of every five hate incidents documented. 

"White supremacist violence, fanned by the flames of racist rhetoric and policies at the federal level, has devastated marginalized communities," said SAALT in a press release.  "Until this administration confronts this crisis, we will continue to face a surge in hate crimes aimed at our communities."

California had the greatest number of hate crimes, but that was due to the fact that it also had the greatest number of jurisdictions reporting hate crimes.

“America’s elected president has mocked the disabled, called Mexicans rapists and murderers, executed a Muslim travel ban, issued disparaging remarks about women and African Americans, and is working to roll back protections for members of our transgender community,” San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The country’s increase in hate crimes should be a surprise to no one, but it should be alarming to all. We look to our elected leaders to set an example.”

As of this writing, Trump hasn't said anything about the FBI report.
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Mike Pompeo, Trump's pick for Secretary of State, alarms Muslim Americans

DONALD TRUMP's nominee for Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is no stranger to the Muslim American community.

“Mike Pompeo has made a career of bigotry and hate. This announcement should concern every congress member and American who values religious freedom," said Scott Simpson, public advocacy director at Muslim Advocates.

Trump selection of Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson, who Trump fired two days ago, has set off alarm bells among Muslim/Americans

"This not a man who can be trusted in the cabinet, and we urge members of the Senate to speak up against this announcement,” said Simpson of Muslim Advocates, a civil rights organization the works to guarantee freedom and justice for all Americans.

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged opposition to the nominations of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state.

"Those, like Mr. Pompeo, who have expressed Islamophobic views and have been associated with an anti-Muslim hate group, or like Ms. Haspel, who personally oversaw the torture of detainees, should have no role in our nation's government, let alone at the highest levels of policy-making," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.

In 2016, then-congressman Mike Pompeo spoke at a "Legislative Briefing" for the notorious anti-Muslim hate group ACT for America. At that time, the hate group's website noted that "the next CIA Director Rep. Mike Pompeo has been a steadfast ally of ours since the day he was elected to Congress."

Pompeo, who received the ACT for America "National Security Eagle Award for 2016," also reserved the auditorium for its event and previously addressed the hate group's national conferences in 2013 and 2015.

In 2010, Pompeo defended one of his campaign staffers who posted a link to a blog that used the racial slur "turban topper" in reference to his opponent, who was of South Asian ancestry, and called President Obama an "evil muslim [sic] communist USURPER."

In 2013, following the Boston Marathon attacks, Pompeo falsely alleged that American Muslim leaders were "potentially complicit" in terrorists acts for failing to speak out.

"Silence has made these Islamic leaders across America potentially complicit in these acts," said Pompeo.

As activist Anai Rhoads noted in the Huffington Post, Muslim leaders worked closely with law enforcement to thwart potential attacks, and immediately following the attack they spoke up against the act.
“The Boston attacks occurred on April 15 at approximately 2:49 p.m. The Universal Muslim Association of America spoke out against the attacks at 5:17 p.m.; the Muslim Public Affairs Council at 5:53 p.m.; the Council on American-Islamic Relations at  7:46 p.m.; the Muslim Peace Coalition 8 p.m. and the Muslim American Society Public Affairs and Engagement 10:52 p.m." Rhoads wrote. "The only organization which moderately delayed a response was the Islamic Society of North America, and that was 12:09 a.m. on April 16.”

At that time, CAIR called on Pompeo to correct his "false and irresponsible" attack on Muslim leaders and sent him a letter containing dozens of anti-terror statements of the type he incorrectly claimed Muslims had failed to make. Pompey, in a statement, said he was “not backing down.”

When Mike Pompeo was nominated to be Donald Trump's CIA Director the ACLU published this graphic.

Following the 2016 election, CAIR expressed concern about a "troubling Islamophobic trend" in then President-elect Donald Trump's recent appointments and nominations, including the appointment of Pompeo as CIA director.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Pompeo was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010, representing Kansas state during the era of the Tea Party, the ultra-conservative branch of the Republican Party.

He ran against Democratic candidate Raj Goyle, a lifelong Kansas resident and son of Hindu-Indian immigrants.

That didn't stop Pompeo from posting a link to a blog on his campaign's Facebook page that called Goyle "just another turban topper we don't need in Congress or any political office that deals with the US Constitution, Christianity and the United States of America!"

The slur was written by Bob Pinkstaff of Wichita, a retired US military serviceman. The remarks came after Goyle "dodged" a question about his religion during a debate before the 2010 election.

Goyle called Pompeo out for sharing the blog, saying the "bigoted attack" went "beyond the rules of engagement in politics." Pompey apologized, saying it was "inadvertently posted," but the damage was one.

Corey Saylor, CAIR's former director monitoring Islamophobia, told Al Jazeera that Pompeo being appointed secretary of state is a "continuation of the troubling policies we've seen coming out of the Trump administration".

Hoda Hawa, director of policy and advocacy for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, called Pompeo a “divisive” figure whose confirmation would further erode American Muslims’ trust in their government.

“As the top diplomat for the United States, it is crucial that the Secretary of State carries out a foreign policy agenda that doesn’t marginalize American communities,” Hawa told HuffPost in an email. “Pompeo has shown, both as a Member of Congress and as the CIA Director, that his personal feelings inform his policies.”

“All Americans, especially American Muslims, need a Secretary of State that is willing to push back” against the “rising tides of anti-American sentiment and Islamophobia that is spreading overseas in response to the Trump Administration’s American First and anti-Muslim policy agenda,” said Robert McCaw, director of government affairs for CAIR.
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Muslim American lawsuits vs. New Jersey towns settled allowing mosques to be built

Proposed mosque in Bayonne, New Jersey

TWO NEW JERSEY communities of Basking Ridge and Bayonne will allow the construction of mosques after settling lawsuit with the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ).

The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today welcomed the settlement of two pending lawsuits that will allow the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge (ISBR) to move forward with plans to build a mosque. 

Late last year, the mosque’s application in Basking Ridge had been voted down in a decision that was challenged by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and ISBR on the grounds that ISBR was being treated unfairly under the Federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

After 39 public hearings in a process that lasted nearly four years the DOJ determined that there was sufficient evidence to sue for discriminatory practices.  The settlement agreement with ISBR requires that the township pay damages of $3.25 million. 

“Several New Jersey Muslim communities have been targeted by local anti-Muslim opponents to new mosque construction who attempted to hide their bigoted intentions behind zoning technicalities,” said CAIR-NJ Executive Director James Sues. 

“In the case of Basking Ridge, these intentions were plain to see once this case went to court. We hope this case sends a message to other communities that freedom of religion is a guaranteed constitutional right, and that the Muslim community is prepared to rigorously defend its rights.”

A $400,000 settlement has been reached Jan. 30 in a federal lawsuit filed by a Muslim congregation that accused a New Jersey zoning board of discrimination when it turned down their bid to open a mosque.

The agreement, filed Jan. 25 in District Court in New Jersey, said that the City of Bayonne will pay Bayonne Muslims $120,000 in damages and $280,000 in attorneys fees. It also allows their mosque application, voted down in March, to move forward.

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis in a statement said the city settled the suit to protect its taxpayers, adding that money for the payment will come from a joint insurance fund to which it belongs.

“The Muslims have been part of our community for a long time, and we have always worked together,” Davis said.

“Everybody deserves a place of worship,” he continued. “Religious freedom is one of America’s founding principles.”

“We are so grateful for the support of so many of our fellow Bayonne residents through this long struggle and we commend the City of Bayonne for moving now to correct the wrong that was done to Bayonne’s Muslims,” Abdul Hamid Butt, president of the congregation, said in a statement.

Muslim students more likely to be bullied in California

CALIFORNIA'S MUSLIM STUDENTS are twice as likely to be bullied than Muslim students in other parts of the country.

"Being called 'terrorist' or 'Bin laden' is still a reality for many American Muslim students," said Fatima Dadabhoy., civil rights manager of Council of American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles. 

A 2016 survey of 1,041 students ages 11-18 from San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento Valley and San Francisco Bay Area were asked questions about their relationships with peers and teachers, as well as their comfort levels participating in discussions about Islam and Muslims.

"Throughout the course of this study, we were alarmed to find that many Muslim students didn't even deem this as a form of bullying," said Dadabhoy. "Through this report, we hope to show that a decision to dismiss mistreatment as a natural consequence of being Muslim in America, or simply part of growing up, is unacceptable and normalizes a toxic school environment."

This study follows similar studies conducted by CAIR in 2012 and 2014.

Fifty-three percent of respondents report that students at school are made fun of, verbally insulted or abused for being Muslim. Additionally, 26 percent of students reported being victims of cyberbullying, and a shocking 57 percent of students view their peers making offensive comments about Islam and Muslims online.

Thirty-six percent of female respondents, reported having their Islamic head scarves (hijab) tugged, pulled or being offensively touched, an increase of seven percent from CAIR-CA’s 2015 report.

Survey results reveal an increase in offensive comments made by teachers, administrators and other officials about the students’ religion. Only 30 percent of students reported that they felt their problems were solved by an adult, a decrease from 42 percent in 2014.

READ the full report.

“The results of this survey reveal that Muslim students have to carry a heavy burden every day at school by facing bullies whose religious intolerance is now being legitimized by a sitting U.S. president,” said CAIR-LA Civil Rights Attorney Marwa Rifahie, the lead author of the report. “It is hard to ignore the negative effect the 2016 presidential campaign and that the election of Donald Trump has had on the progress made in the school bullying arena. It is important to continue advocating for learning environments that are free from hostility and discrimination.”

"As we feared, our survey results showed that the school environment for Muslim students has continued to worsen on all fronts,” said CAIR-SFBA Civil Rights Attorney Brittney Rezaei. “Students face bullying from peers, teachers and even school administrators, and often feel as though they cannot get help. However, we have also seen amazing resilience from the students we work with who continue to thrive in the face of adversity. "

Other highlights of the report included:

• More than 10% reported physical bullying such as slapping, kicking, or punching.
• 17% of female students who wear a hijab, reported being bullied at least once because of they wear a hijab to school. 
• 50% were subjected to mean comments and rumors about them because of their religion. 
• 18% didn’t feel comfortable participating in classroom discussions in which Islam or Muslims were discussed. 
• 19% didn’t believe or were unsure that their teachers respected their religion. 
• 35% of bullying victims indicated that reporting harassment incidents to school administrators did not help.

CAIR said it has witnessed an unprecedented increase in hate incidents targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump.

The Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization urges community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/report

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