CAIR-NY Says Hate Vandalism is Not Free Speech

Muslim group applauds NYPD for arrest in Quran desecration case

    NEW YORK, July 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The New York chapter of
 the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today applauded the New
 York City Police Department's (NYPD) Hate Crimes Task Force for working to
 charge a Brooklyn resident who allegedly desecrated Qurans, Islam's
 revealed text, at Manhattan's Pace University.
     SEE: Hate Crime Arrests in Quran Desecration at Pace University
 http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--
 vandalismquran0727jul27,0,6882662.story
     "We commend the NYPD for its appropriate handling of this case," said
 CAIR-NY Civil Rights Coordinator Aliya Latif. "We must all be concerned
 when any actions cross the line from protected free speech to acts designed
 to intimidate. Just as there is a difference between someone burning a
 cross in their own backyard and burning that same cross in the yard of an
 African- American family, there is a difference between desecrating a
 religious text in a private setting and doing so in a setting that will
 create a hostile learning environment."
     She said that one of the desecrated Qurans was reportedly taken from
 Pace's interfaith meditation room.
     Since October, five hate incidents targeting the Muslim community have
 been documented on the Pace campus, including the words "F--- Islam"
 written in a hallway. Muslim students have even reported to CAIR-NY that
 they transferred out of the university because of the hostile atmosphere
 created by these incidents.
     Latif said CAIR-NY will continue to work with Pace's MSA and the
 Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL) to promote tolerance on the
 Pace campus.
     CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 33 offices
 and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the
 understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
 empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and
 mutual understanding.
     CONTACT: CAIR-NY Civil Rights Coordinator Aliya Latif, Tel:
 212-870-2002 or 732-429-4268, E-Mail: alatif@cair.com
 
 

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations