OPOW: CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell ...

CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell

"On behalf of Georgia's Muslim community, we pray that God blesses and welcomes the souls of the innocent men, women, and children were murdered while worshipping Him. May God heal those who were injured, comforts the families of the victims, and bring those responsible for this crime to justice.

"Today's white supremacist attack on two Muslim houses of worship in New Zealand was horrifying, but not surprising. This sort of violence against Muslim worshippers was the predictable end result of a global surge in xenophobia, Islamophobia, and other manifestations of political extremism.

"The shooter has the blood on his hands, but the hate groups and hate leaders who inspired the shooter to think of his Muslim neighbors as 'invaders' and 'traitors' also bear responsibility for his actions.

"Here in our nation, American Muslims have been targeted by hate crimes, death threats, discrimination, and other forms of Islamophobia in recent years. Our political leaders must reject racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia in both word and deed before the hatred we have seen in Christchurch, Pittsburgh, Charlottesville, and elsewhere, impacts anyone else."

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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Comment by Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص on March 15, 2019 at 10:47am: CAIR Condemns Terror Attack on New Zealand Mosques, Urges Stepped-Up Security by Muslim Communities in U.S., Worldwide

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/15/19) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today mourned the deaths of more than 40 worshipers gunned down in terror attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, during prayers on Friday, condemned the apparent anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hate that motivated the attacks and urged mosques in the United States and worldwide to step up security measures.

A man who claimed responsibility for the attacks left a 74-page anti-immigrant manifesto in which he said he was a 28-year-old white Australian and a racist. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the attack was carried out "by an extremist right-wing violent terrorist" and media reports indicate that the manifesto posted before the attack includes anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The white supremacist author of the manifesto called himself a supporter of President Donald Trump, who he sees "as a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose."

Authorities have detained four people and defused explosive devices following what appeared to be a carefully-planned terror attack.

SEE: Christchurch shootings at two mosques leave 49 dead, Australian arr...
40 Killed in New Zealand Mosque Shootings; 4 Held

In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:

"To God we belong, and to Him is our return. We mourn the heartbreaking killings of men, women and children gathered for prayer in their houses of worship and urge leaders in our nation and worldwide to speak out forcefully against the growing anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hate that appears to have motivated these white supremacist terrorists. In the wake of this tragedy, we urge mosques, Islamic schools and other community institutions in the United States and around the world to take stepped-up security precautions, particularly during times of communal prayer."

Video of the attacks has been posted online. CAIR is asking that the video not be shared.

"Instead of spreading the hate-filled message of terrorists, we should share messages of love and solidarity with the loved ones of those killed or injured in the attacks," said Awad.

Awad urged President Trump to speak out against the attacks and the white supremacist motive of the terrorists.

CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president and has repeatedly expressed concern about Islamophobic, white supremacist and racist Trump administration policies and appointments.

SEE: CAIR Says Trump's Islamophobic 'Prayer Rug' Tweet Designed to Distr...

The Washington-based civil rights organization is urging mosques and other Islamic institutions to take measures outlined in its "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety" booklet. The advice in CAIR's security publication is applicable to all institutions, regardless of organizational mission.

The booklet may be viewed at: [CAUTION] https://tinyurl.com/BestSafetyPractices [CAUTION]

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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Comment by Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص on March 15, 2019 at 11:25am

Staying Safe!

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All praise and thanks belong to God, the Lord of the Worlds,
May peace and prayers be upon Prophet Muhammad

Asalaam Alaykum Brothers & Sisters,

As you know, white supremacists launched terrorist attacks on masajid in New Zealand during Jum'ah today, killing at least 40 Muslim men, women, and children.

May Allah grant Paradise to those who were killed, heal those who were injured, comfort the families of the victims, bring those responsible to justice, and protect all of us. Ameen.

As a precaution, we strongly encourage Georgia masajid and private schools to:

Contact local law enforcement and request the presence of a patrol car outside your facility today, particularly during Jum'ah.
Always keep your entry doors locked at all times, requiring visitors to enter a keypad entry code to enter the building.
Limit entry access to the masjid to TWO doors, but make many exit doors available. That is, ensure there are many ways to leave the masjid, but only two ways to enter it.
Develop and practice an emergency evacuation plan.
Use visible high-definition outdoor and indoor security cameras so as to deter attackers, and assist in the investigation of any incident.
Hire a police officer or an armed guard to visibly stand guard during, at the least, Eid and Jum'ah. There are a few professional Muslim-led protection corporations in Georgia. Let me know if you want me to connect you with them.

You can click here to download a full security guide prepared by CAIR National. I have also pasted a video about responding to an active shooter situation at the end of this email.

As a reminder, CAIR Georgia launched a new self-defense seminar, titled "Staying Safe in America," last year. During the interactive presentation, we cover masjid security, active shooter situations, personal safety tips, particularly for women, and school bullying. If you would like CAIR Georgia to deliver its self-defense seminar at your masjid or private school, email me at emitchell@cair.com.

Finally, let us note that this attack was horrifying, but not particularly surprising. This violence was the predictable end result of a global surge in xenophobia, Islamophobia, and other manifestations of rightwing political extremism.

The shooter has the blood on his hands, but the hate groups and hate leaders who inspired him to think of his Muslim neighbors as 'invaders' and 'traitors' also bear responsibility for his actions.

As Muslims, we should, insha Allah, re-double our efforts to counter anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant bigots, whether they belong to a hate group or occupy elected office.

We should also "tie our camel" by doing what we can to protect ourselves, our schools, and our houses of worship, insha Allah. Feel free to reach out to me if CAIR Georgia can be of further assistance.

May Allah guide and protect all of us.

With thanks,

Edward Ahmed Mitchell
Executive Director
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Georgia Chapter
emitchell@cair.com