CAIR: NY Man Pushed To His Death Because Killer Thought He Was Muslim

NEW YORK, Dec. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today repeated its call for America's political and religious leaders to speak out forcefully against growing anti-Muslim hate in our society after a New York woman was arrested for allegedly pushing a man to his death on the tracks of a subway station because she thought he was Muslim.

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) said the alleged killer, who has been charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime, told police the attack was "an act against Muslims" and cited the 9/11 terror attacks as a motive for her actions. Her alleged victim was reportedly Hindu, not Muslim.

SEE: Woman Accused of Hate-Crime Murder in Subway Push (NY Times) http://tinyurl.com/cll5a8m 

"We again urge our nation's leaders to speak out forcefully against the rising level of anti-Muslim hate in American society that is being fueled and exploited by a vocal minority of Islamophobes," said CAIR-NY Executive Director Muneer Awad.

Awad cited other recent hate incidents targeting Muslims or Islam:

* A designated hate group headed by blogger Pamela Geller is placing Islamophobic advertisements in transit systems nationwide, including in New York subway stations. CAIR-NY reached out to the transit authority with concerns that the ads might incite violence.

Video: Hate Group Opposes CAIR 'MyJihad' Campaign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeaCcP_zu5c SEE: Pamela Geller Islamophobe Profile http://www.cair.com/portals/0/pdf/Pamela_Geller.pdf

* A New York man of Afghan heritage was stabbed repeatedly outside a mosque by an attacker shouting anti-Muslim comments. A friend of the victim reported that the alleged attacker said "he doesn't like Muslims."

SEE: Attacker Screamed Anti-Muslim Rant (NY Daily News) http://tinyurl.com/aqob3v4 

* Two teens beat a 70-year-old New York man after asking him if he was Hindu or Muslim.

SEE: Queens Man Beaten After Being Asked If He was Hindu or Muslim http://tinyurl.com/d8taono 

* CAIR's Cleveland office released a video highlighting anti-Muslim hate preached at a recent Tea Party event at a school in that state, which included claims that American Muslims "will kill your children" and that "we are in war with Islam."

CAIR: Tea Party Anti-Muslim Hate Comes to Ohio School http://vimeo.com/56027179 

* CAIR's Ohio chapter welcomed news that the Indiana man charged with intentionally setting fire to a Toledo mosque in September pleaded guilty.

CAIR-OH Welcomes Guilty Plea in Toledo Mosque Arson http://tinyurl.com/cu88s2b 

* CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area office called for increased community vigilance after a man reportedly entered a mosque in Fremont, Calif., claimed he had a gun, and threatened to kill everyone inside the house of worship.

Video: Man Enters Calif. Mosque, Threatens to Kill Everyone Inside http://tinyurl.com/clcyet4

* CAIR's San Antonio chapter called on federal law enforcement authorities to consider bringing charges against a man arrested for vowing to "shoot as many people as possible" at a local mosque.

Video: CAIR Seeks Federal Charges for Threat to Texas Mosque http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_I1hJbeWv4

* In New Jersey, white supremacists faced hate crime charges for allegedly attacking several men of Egyptian descent in 2011. One of the alleged attackers wrote on a website: "(W)e went to hunt down some sand n**gers, it was me and my other bro on like 6 or eight and we whooped them."

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