PRESS RELEASE: CAIR-Chicago Concerned About Suspected White Supremacist Attack in Western Suburbs

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CAIR-Chicago Concerned About Suspected White Supremacist Attack in Western Suburbs

(CHICAGO, IL, 5/2/2019) -- The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today expressed concern about an alleged white supremacist attack on a Muslim family home in Bolingbrook, Ill. this past weekend. 

On Saturday, April 27th, 2019 at 2 A.M., a Muslim family, who does not wish to be identified, was awakened by glass breaking, only to find a brick had been thrown through their son’s bedroom window. Fortunately, the son, who though startled, was not badly injured. The family then went outside to find Islamophobic, racist, misogynistic, and homophobic graffiti on their property. Large font graffiti in red paint read “F*g”, “N**ger” “B**ch” and “Arab” along with a Nazi swastika.

SEE IMAGES: link (Copyright CAIR-Chicago)

"This is a stunning development. This is an area consistently ranked number one in the country to raise a family, and here you have a blatant white supremacist violent hate crime delivered right to a Muslim family’s home as they slept at night. They felt secure there and are now wondering where they can feel safe. It’s as if there is no escape," said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab.

Rehab noted that 2018 saw a surge in hate groups in the United States, with white supremacy groups growing by 50%, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. White Supremacists groups in the United States and Canada killed at least 40 people last year. From September 12, 2001 to December 31, 2016, 62 of the 85 (74 percent) attacks in the U.S. by violent extremists were committed by far-right violent extremists (U.S Extremist Crime Database, Univ. of Maryland).

The 2017 FBI hate crimes report shows a 17 percent increase in reported hate crimes. Of the more than 7,100 hate crimes reported last year, nearly three out of five were motivated by race and ethnicity. Hate crimes motivated by anti-religious bias increased by 23 percent. Jewish and Muslim individuals were the victims of 58.1 percent and 18.7 percent of religiously motivated hate crimes, respectively. 

CAIR-Chicago is the Chicago Chapter of America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Our mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.

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CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Saadia Pervaiz, 312-212-1520, spervaiz@cair.com; CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Asha Binbek, 312-212-1520, abinbek@cair.com