Muslim Civil Rights Group Calls for Vandalism Investigation
According to the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA), Dr. Hazem Mahmoud, a mayoral candidate for the city of Newburyport, said a banner on his front lawn had been cut with a sharp blade. CAIR-MA wants law enforcement authorities to investigate for a bias motive, according to a statement from the group.
Newburyport police could not immediately be reached for comment.
"Given the atmosphere of Islamophobia experienced by American Muslims nationwide, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this incident,” CAIR-MA Civil Rights Director Barbara J. Dougan said in the statement.
Mahmoud said he has previously been targeted for his Egyptian-Muslim heritage, but he does not know if the alleged vandal simply disagreed with him politically, according to the statement.
CAIR-MA noted in the statement that hate incidents "targeting Muslims and other minority groups” have spiked since the US presidential election in November.
The group has issued a number of statements in recent months, including a call for a bias investigation into the murder of a Sikh man in Fresno, Calif. last week.
Source: bostonglobe.com
