569 Islamophobic Attacks in 512 Days

[UPDATED] Hate Crime Watch: 569 Islamophobic Attacks in 512 Days

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September, 2015

  1. September 1, 2015 – The mayor of Sterling Heights, MI, comments his opposition against the building of a mosque in the city, stating that his “heart breaks for the people of Iraq and around the world who are being terrorized by Islamic terrorists,” and that he will do everything in his power to protect the Chaldean and Iraqi Christian populations of the city.
  2. September 3, 2015 – CAIR-MN receives an anonymous letter including calls to “eradicate Muslims” and the assertion that “a new crusade starts now.”
  3. September 4, 2015 – Marlondejuan Guy of Ocala, FL, is given a letter by his managers at the local Denny’s telling him to remove his kufi or face termination of his employment. He regularly walks out of 7 and a half-hour shifts with less than $25.
  4. September 4, 2015 – 3 people burn a cross into the front lawn of a mosque in Waterport, NY.
  5. September 6, 2015 – A school board member in Columbia Heights, MN, comments on Facebook making derogatory comments about Muslims, saying they leave “powder on the toilet seat” before deleting the comment and denying that it was made at all.
  6. September 8, 2015 – 28-year-old Mohamed Ibrahim of Shreveport, LA, is shot and killed by an officer after crashing during a police chase, despite the fact that his family had informed the police that he suffered from schizophrenia and was delusional at the time of the chase.
  7. September 10, 2015 – 53-year-old Inderjit Singh Mukker, a Sikh from Darien, IL, is left with a fractured cheekbone, lacerations, and other injuries after being repeatedly punched in the face on his way to the grocery store. His assailant calls him a “terrorist” and “Bin Laden” while reaching into his car from another vehicle.
  8. September 11, 2015 – A 16-year-old Muslim student at Olathe East High School in Olathe, KS, is sent multiple messages harassing him via social media including Snapchats warning him not to come to school on 9/11. A teacher allows him to leave school early to escape the bullying, but it continues at the football game later that night.
  9. September 16, 2015 – 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed is arrested at MacArthur High School in Irving, TX, after a teacher calls in his his homemade clock to the police as a bomb. He is placed in handcuffs and taken to a juvenile detention center before being released to his parents.
  10. September 16, 2015 – A mosque in Louisville, KY, is vandalized as hateful messages telling its members “Moslems – leave the Jews alone” and “This is for France.”
  11. September 18, 2015 – Presidential-hopeful Donald Trump responds to a supporter’s question in Rochester, NH, about the “problem” of Muslims in the country not with a condemnation, but with the assertion that “We’re going to be looking at that and a lot of different things.”
  12. September 20, 2015 – Speaking to NBC’s Chuck Todd, Presidential-hopeful Ben Carson claims that Islam is inconsistent with the Constitution and that a Muslim should never be President of the United States.
  13. September 22, 2015 – 15-year-old competitive boxer Amaiya Zafar is stopped from competing in the Golden Gloves at the Garden contest because her hijab and modest attire are ostensibly in violation of the international federation’s strict dress code, which does not offer a religious accommodations.
  14. September 24, 2015 – Members of the Islamic Center of Cleveland are harassed while going to Eid Al-Adha celebrations by 52-year-old James Remington, who calls them “child molesters” and “terrorists.” When stopped by an official, he tries to run the official over with his car, which is later found to contain a hatchet under the seat.
  15. September 25, 2016 – 2 hijabi college students are prohibited from riding an attraction at the Belmont Park amusement park in San Diego, CA, after the ride operator cites their hijabs as a safety hazard.
  16. September 27, 2015 – Speaking about the religion of Middle Eastern refugees, Presidential-hopeful Ben Carson states that a person’s religion is probable cause for searches and surveillance of communications.