NEW YORK, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Jewish Committee welcomed the decision this week to indict the man who brutally stabbed a Muslim cab driver in New York City on hate crimes charges, following a hearing at the Manhattan Criminal Court.

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The court heard how Michael Enright attacked Ahmad Sharif as he rode in Sharif's taxi on August 24. The attack followed a brief conversation in which Enright asked Sharif, an immigrant from Bangladesh, if he was a Muslim. Sharif was wounded in the face and neck.

"Our position on hate crimes is clear: zero tolerance for those who commit them," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Ahmad Sharif was the victim of a vicious assault for the sole reason that he is a Muslim. If Muslims, and indeed all minorities, are to feel safe on the streets of our cities, those who would engage in violence against them must know that they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

If convicted, Enright could face up to 25 years in prison.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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