(BALTIMORE, MD, 6/6/17) – On Wednesday, June 7, the Maryland Outreach Department of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, will hold a press conference with a Maryland Muslim teen to seek hate crime charges against a man who allegedly verbally and physically assaulted him in a bias-motivated attack in Harford County.
The alleged attacker was charged with two misdemeanors resulting from the February incident. CAIR is now seeking hate crime charges.
WHAT: CAIR to Seek Hate Crime Charges for Verbal, Physical Assault on Maryland Muslim Teen
WHEN: Wednesday, June 7, 11 a.m.
WHERE: CAIR Maryland Office, 6120 Baltimore National Pike, Suite 2D, Baltimore, Md. 21228
CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Outreach Manager Dr. Zainab Chaudry, [email protected], 410-971-6062, CAIR Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas, [email protected]
“We urge law enforcement authorities to bring appropriate hate crime charges against the perpetrator,” said CAIR Maryland Outreach Manager Dr. Zainab Chaudry. “The physical, emotional, and psychological toll of such attacks must not be ignored or trivialized. We urge prosecutors to hold this alleged attacker accountable and to send a message to the public that hate crimes will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Background on Case:
On March 5, 2017, police charged 60-year old Charles Valle Jr. with malicious destruction of property and assault in the second degree, both misdemeanors. These charges related to an encounter between Maryland teenager Dawar Amir and the defendant on February 27, 2017.
On that day, 19-year-old Amir was driving along Route 22 and Churchville Road when he attempted to make a turn for which he had the right of way. At that time, he was allegedly verbally harassed by Valle — a white male in a company van.
Dawar at that point drove off, but the alleged assailant followed him into a parking lot, blocked off his vehicle, got out of his own car, and approached Dawar’s car in a threatening manner. He reportedly opened Dawar’s car door aggressively, hit Dawar in the face, snatched his eyeglasses, and threw them to the sidewalk. He then allegedly shouted more obscenities while Dawar exited his car to search for his eyeglasses.
The assailant’s racist, threatening remarks included “get out of my country” and “you are lucky you weren’t in my side of the town or I would have beaten and shot you.”
A bystander who witnessed the exchange came to Dawar’s defense, standing between the two men and helping Dawar find his eyeglasses while telling his attacker that he should never say anything like that to anyone. The eyewitness walked Dawar away as his alleged attacker got back in his car and fled.
CAIR’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C., has noted an unprecedented spike in hate incidents targeting Muslims and other minority groups since the November 8 election.
The Washington-based Muslim civil rights group is asking Muslim community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR’s Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at:
Report an Incident. Seeking legal help from CAIR Civil Rights Department. The Civil Rights Department of the Council on American-Islamic Relations works to protect …
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. 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.
La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect…
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CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Outreach Manager Dr. Zainab Chaudry, [email protected], 410-971-6062; CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]
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