US Islamic rights group slams Florida mosque attack as hate crime

An Islamic civil rights organization in the US has denounced a recent beating of a Muslim man at the Fort Pierce Islamic Center in Florida as a hate crime tied to the mass shooting at an Orlando night club.

The Washington-based Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), further complained that local law enforcement authorities ignored requests by the Islamic center for increased security at the site despite numerous threats made against the center.

According to a statement by CAIR, a white truck stopped at the mosque at 4:15 am on Saturday and a man got off using racial slurs, saying: “You Muslims need to get back to your country.”

The statement further noted that the offending individual beat the victim, causing head trauma and knocking out a tooth.

The St. Lucie County sheriff’s office did not immediately comment on the report.

The Islamic center also alleged that the local sheriff’s office had repeatedly ignored pleas to tighten security around the mosque, also attended by Omar Mateen, a US-born Muslim of Afghan descent, who shot dead 49 people and wounded 53 more at an LGBT nightclub in the worst mass shooting in US history.

CAIR underlined that mosques around the state had received multiple threats and acts of intimidation, including from a motorcycle group repeatedly circling the Fort Pierce mosque.

“Unfortunately, our requests were repeatedly ignored,” CAIR said in a statement. “Will someone have to be killed for the sheriff to provide safety and security to this Mosque? Muslims are part of the community just like everyone else. It is his duty and responsibility to ensure the safety of all his citizens.”

The development came amid a growing Islamophobia campaign across the US by right-wing politicians and political organizations. 

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