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Muslim-American leaders fear Islamophobia may lead to hate crimes | In the midst of the ongoing controversy over the proposed 'Ground Zero mosque' and the attempted murder of a Muslim taxi driver, Muslim-American leaders have
expressed their concern saying they fear 'Islamophobia' or 'anti-Muslim hysteria' could lead to violence and hate crimes in the country. "We've had a perfect storm
for Islamophobia," The Christian Science Monitor quoted Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman
for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington, as saying.
"I have been working on behalf of other Muslims for more than 30 years and I have
never see it like this, not even after the 9/11 attacks. Hate rhetoric often leads
to hate crimes, and I think that's what we're seeing now," he added. Erica Payne,
the founder of a New York non-profit 'Agenda Project', has blamed the politicians
of both parties for not taking a strong stand against what she called an increase
in hate speech directed at Muslims. "It's happened very quickly, a lot of matches
have been lit all at once. Those who should have held the fire extinguisher have
abdicated. If they don't take hold of themselves, this will be the very beginning
of a long line of these kinds of incidents," Payne further said. On Wednesday,
21-year-old Michael Enright got into a cab driven by Ahmed Sharif, a 44-year old
Bangladeshi immigrant, pulled a knife and slashed him multiple times during the
evening rush hour after inquiring if he was a Muslim. New York City Police Commissioner
Raymond Kelly has claimed that ten hate crimes against Muslims have been reported
so far this year. |
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