Tag:

Islamophobia

Drexel Hill-Upper Darby, PA
News
'I Want To Put A Bullet In Your Head' PA Man Gets Jail For Anti-Semitic, Islamophobic Rant 'I Want To Put A Bullet In Your Head' PA Man Gets Jail For Anti-Semitic, Islamophobic Rant
'I Want To Put A Bullet In Your Head' PA Man Gets Jail For Anti-Semitic, Islamophobic Rant A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 16 months in prison for making threatening antisemitic, Islamophobic rants over the phone, authorities said. Yaniv Gola, 51, was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 22 after being charged for making phone calls threatening to injure, rape, and kill eight different victims, the US Department of Justice said in a news release.  After serving the prison time, Gola will be placed under three years of supervised release, the Department of Justice said. The calls were made between Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022 and Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, according to the news release. Gola …

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by Merriell Moyer
New Brunswick, NJ
Police & Fire
Man Admits To Vandalizing Rutgers Islamic Center On Muslim Holiday, Feds Say Man Admits To Vandalizing Rutgers Islamic Center On Muslim Holiday, Feds Say
Man Admits To Vandalizing Rutgers Islamic Center On Muslim Holiday, Feds Say A North Plainfield man admitted to trashing an Islamic center at Rutgers University-New Brunswick during an important Muslim holiday, authorities said. Jacob Beacher, 24, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Oct. 9 to damage to religious property, New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release. According to court documents and statements, Beacher broke into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU) at around 2:41 a.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 10. That day was Eid-al-Fitr, a holy celebration for Muslims at the end of Ramadan. Prosecutors said Beacher caused m…

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by Chris Spiker
Edison, NJ
Schools
Rutgers President Called To Testify Before Congress On Deal With Pro-Palestine Protesters Rutgers President Called To Testify Before Congress On Deal With Pro-Palestine Protesters
Rutgers President Called To Testify Before Congress On Deal With Pro-Palestine Protesters Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway has been called to testify before Congress later this month about his handling of pro-Palestinian protesters, authorities confirmed. U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina, the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, announced Monday, May 6 that she postponed appearances by the presidents of Yale University and the University of Michigan and scheduled Holloway and Northwestern President Michael Schill to speak on May 23. "Over the last several days, the presidents of Northwestern and Rutgers have made shocki…

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by Jon Craig
Edison, NJ
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism GOTCHA! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism
Gotcha! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism UPDATE: An elite law enforcement team captured a 24-year-old local man on Monday who authorities said broke in and trashed the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick earlier this month. Jacob Beacher was due for an initial afternoon appearance on federal hate crime charges in U.S. District Court in Newark on April 22. Beacher broke into the CILRU shortly after 2:30 a.m. April 10 and did an estimated $40,000 worth of damage, state and federal authorities said. It was during the Eid-al-Fitr -- the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Edison, NJ
Police & Fire
'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (UPDATE) 'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (UPDATE)
'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (Update) The overnight trashing Wednesday of the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick -- which coincides with the end of the holy month of Ramadan -- is being treated as a bias crime, authorities said. Someone forced their way in sometimes before 4:30 a.m. April 10, broke glass and destroyed artwork and various other possessions, Rutgers Police Chief Kenneth Cop said. The attack came on Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. "Today we witnessed art pieces with Quranic verses, shattered window…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Edison, NJ
Police & Fire
Rutgers Islamic Center Burglarized Rutgers Islamic Center Burglarized
Rutgers Islamic Center Burglarized The Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick was broken into overnight, coinciding with the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Rutgers Police Chief Kenneth Cop said the incident is being investigated as a bias crime, burglary and criminal mischief. The suspects caused damage to several items of value, he said. The center was burglarized, with evidence of a forced entry, sometime before 4:24 a.m. Wednesday, April 10, Cop said.  The break-in happened on Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan…

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by Jon Craig
Quincy, MA
Police & Fire
'We Should Kill You All': Mass Man Threatened To Kill Jews, Bomb Synagogues, Feds Say 'We Should Kill You All': Mass Man Threatened To Kill Jews, Bomb Synagogues, Feds Say
'We Should Kill You All': Mass Man Threatened To Kill Jews, Bomb Synagogues, Feds Say Police arrested a 59-year-old Norfolk County man after investigators say he left voicemails threatening to kill Jewish people and blow up their places of worship.  John Reardon, of Millis, is charged with one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to threaten a person or place with harm via an explosive, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said on Monday. Reardon was arrested last week.  Investigators say Reardon called Congregation Agudas Achim, a synagogue in Attleboro, Thursday morning, Jan. 25, and left a voicemail threatening horrific violence over the …

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by Josh Lanier
Hartford, CT
Schools
College In CT Shows Support For Palestinian Student Shot In VT In Apparent Hate Crime College In CT Shows Support For Palestinian Student Shot In VT In Apparent Hate Crime
College In CT Shows Support For Palestinian Student Shot In VT In Apparent Hate Crime A college community in Connecticut, alongside many nationwide, has been left reeling after a student of Palestinian descent was one of three shot in what appears to be a hate crime. Tahseen Ali Ahmad, age 20, who attends Trinity College in Hartford, was one of three men of the same age shot outside of a house in Burlington, Vermont on Sunday, Nov. 26, the school announced. Ali Ahmad and the two other men — Kinnan Abdalhamid and Hisham Awartani, also of Palestinian descent — were lifelong friends visiting a relative’s house near the University of Vermont's campus for the Thanksgiving holid…

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by Sophie Grieser
Massapequa, NY
News
$75 Million Plan Aims To Ease Surge Of Hate, Bias Crimes In NY: Hochul $75 Million Plan Aims To Ease Surge Of Hate, Bias Crimes In NY: Hochul
$75 Million Plan Aims To Ease Surge Of Hate, Bias Crimes In NY: Hochul As a response to the rise in both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic crimes across New York State stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict, Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a multi-million dollar plan to keep New Yorkers safe. Earlier report: 21-Year-Old Accused Of Threatening To Shoot, Stab, Rape Jewish Students On Campus At Cornell The announcement came on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Hochul, utilizing all available state resources, declared a multi-branched plan aimed at limiting the number of hate and bias crimes, which she says have risen since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. “Let me be clear: we cannot…

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by Sophie Grieser
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Hateful Message Scrawled On PA Mosque, Officials Call For Increased Security Hateful Message Scrawled On PA Mosque, Officials Call For Increased Security
Hateful Message Scrawled On PA Mosque, Officials Call For Increased Security Islamic relations officials are calling for increased security at a Pennsylvania mosque where a hateful message was scrawled. The word "terrorist" was written by vandals on the entrance door of the Khair Community Center in Phoenixville, prompting a call to action by CAIR Philadelphia. “In today’s hateful, dehumanizing rhetoric against Muslims, the kind of vile attacks and speech we have seen directed against Khair Community have become all too common," said Dr. Ahmet Tekelioglu, CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director. "Our office has received an unprecedented number of civil right…

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by Cecilia Levine
White Plains, NY
News
NY AG James Urges Social Media Companies To Stop Hateful Content After Attacks In Israel NY AG James Urges Social Media Companies To Stop Hateful Content After Attacks In Israel
NY AG James Urges Social Media Companies To Stop Hateful Content After Attacks In Israel New York Attorney General Letitia James has sent a series of letters to several social media companies urging them to take action and remove hateful content posted in response to the violence taking place in Israel.  The letters, announced by the Attorney General's Office on Friday, Oct. 13, all request that each company provide thorough explanations of how they are stopping the spread of hateful content that encourages violence against Jewish and Muslim people or institutions in the aftermath of violent attacks committed against Israel by the Hamas militant group.  Jame…

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by Ben Crnic
Massapequa, NY
News
Disinformation Spreads On LI Amid Israel-Hamas War, Calls For Social Media Change In NY Disinformation Spreads On LI Amid Israel-Hamas War, Calls For Social Media Change In NY
Disinformation Spreads On LI Amid Israel-Hamas War, Calls For Social Media Change In NY While communities grieve and New York officials call for social media companies to tamp down on hateful content, false information about the Israel-Hamas war has spread at a rapid pace — even at home on Long Island. It started with a simple post on X (formerly known as Twitter) by CBS New York reporter Tim McNicholas on Wednesday, Oct. 11. McNicholas, an investigative journalist who has worked in the industry for years, posted a video showing that his car was stuck on the Cross Bronx Expressway near Throgs Neck thanks to a driver who “decided it was time to do some donuts,” as he put it. …

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by Sophie Grieser
Hartford, CT
Politics
CT State Rep. Assaulted During Prayer Service, Police Say CT State Rep. Assaulted During Prayer Service, Police Say
CT State Rep. Assaulted During Prayer Service, Police Say A Connecticut man has been arrested after a state representative was assaulted while attending a Muslim prayer service. According to officials, Connecticut Rep. Maryam Khan (Hartford) was assaulted around 11 a.m., Wednesday, June 28, while attending an Eid al-Adha prayer service at the XL Center in Hartford. Hartford Police were called to the area of 225 Trumbull St., on a report of a man assaulting a woman, Lt. Aaron Boisvert of the Hartford Police said. Upon arrival, officers found the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Andrey Desmond of New Britain being detained by civilian bystanders…

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by Kathy Reakes
Paterson, NJ
News
'Islamophobia': NJ Muslim Mayor Barred From White House 'Islamophobia': NJ Muslim Mayor Barred From White House
'Islamophobia': NJ Muslim Mayor Barred From White House Outrage spread through New Jersey's Muslim communities after one town's Muslim mayor was banned from attending an Eid-al-Fitr ceremony this week at the White House. Mohahmed Khairullah, who was recently sworn in for his fifth term as Prospect Park's mayor was told by Secret Service Monday, May 1 that he had not been cleared for entry. Khairullah received the news just hours before he was set to arrive. He said the move "reeks of Islamophobia." The Council on American-Islamic Relations New Jersey's chapter called it "unacceptable and insulting," and demanded an apology from the White H…

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by Sam Barron
Edison, NJ
News
No Bias Crime Found At India Day Parade: Middlesex Prosecutor No Bias Crime Found At India Day Parade: Middlesex Prosecutor
No Bias Crime Found At India Day Parade: Middlesex Prosecutor An investigation into a bulldozer float at the annual India Day Parade in Edison has concluded there was not enough evidence to warrant a bias intimidation charge, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said. The incident was “properly reported and classified as a bias incident,” but the investigation did not reach the threshold for criminal charges, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department said in a joint statement. On Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, the Edison Police Department received numerous reports concerning a float in the Indi…

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by Jon Craig
Elizabeth, NJ
News
NJ Teacher Used Olympian As Role Model For Students Before She Ruined Her Life, Lawsuit Says NJ Teacher Used Olympian As Role Model For Students Before She Ruined Her Life, Lawsuit Says
NJ Teacher Used Olympian As Role Model For Students Before She Ruined Her Life, Lawsuit Says The person who Tamar Herman says is responsible for ruining her life was someone she knew, she says. Someone who she exercised with, had exchanged phone numbers with and become Facebook friends with. So, why Ibtihaj Muhammad failed to reach out to Herman before publishing the social media post that upended her 30-year teaching career and forced her out of the community she's been apart of for decades, is beyond her, according to Herman's attorney, Erik Dykema, with The Lawfare Project. According to a lawsuit filed against Muhammad, an Olympic fencer and non-profit Muslim group Ca…

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by Cecilia Levine
Paterson, NJ
News
'Go Back To Your F*cking Country': NJ Woman Attacks Young Muslim Sisters, Authorities Charge 'Go Back To Your F*cking Country': NJ Woman Attacks Young Muslim Sisters, Authorities Charge
'Go Back To Your F*cking Country': NJ Woman Attacks Young Muslim Sisters, Authorities Charge A New Jersey woman getting her nails done smacked a young Muslim girl in the head and told her and her sister to “go back to your f*cking country,” authorities charged. She then cursed out the young teens’ mother, they said. Nancy Jones, 59, of Clifton, was charged with a trio of bias crimes after investigators identified her in connection with the April 30 attack at New Natural Nails on Lakeview Avenue, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes and Clifton Police Chief Thomas Rinaldi said in a joint announcement. Both U.S.-born girls – one 13, the other 15 -- were wearing hijabs at the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Massapequa, NY
News
Vandalism At Nassau County Mosque Being Investigated As Bias Crime, Police Say Vandalism At Nassau County Mosque Being Investigated As Bias Crime, Police Say
Vandalism At Nassau County Mosque Being Investigated As Bias Crime, Police Say Trash mixed in with human waste that was tossed into a Long Island mosque earlier this month is being treated as a bias crime, authorities announced. On Friday, Aug. 13, a man was caught on camera walking up to the front door of the Faizan-e-Aisha mosque on Heitz Place in Hicksville twice, tossing shovels of garbage and urine near the front door. According to reports, the package landed in the area of the mosque where congregants would leave their shoes before heading inside to pray. Though the incident happened earlier this month, it was not reported to the Nassau County Police Departmen…

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by Zak Failla
Paterson, NJ
News
'Taste Of Your Own Medicine': Caller Threatens Rape, Bombing At Palestinian Center In Clifton 'Taste Of Your Own Medicine': Caller Threatens Rape, Bombing At Palestinian Center In Clifton
'Taste Of Your Own Medicine': Caller Threatens Rape, Bombing At Palestinian Center In Clifton VIDEO: Clifton police provided extra security while investigating a deluge of threatening phone calls Tuesday to the Palestinian American Community Center. “Is this the terrorist community center?” the caller asked during one of more than 30 exchanges with staff that began before noon and continued until nearly 6 p.m. Referring to himself as “Jebediah,” the caller said he lived “next to” the Lakeview Avenue center and was going to “beat your f*****g ass.” “You Palestinians blow up children and behead them,” he said at one point. “I'm going to come rape you and give you a taste of your own …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Edison, NJ
News
Rutgers Admins' Apology For Condemning Anti-Semitism Causes Controversy On Campus Rutgers Admins' Apology For Condemning Anti-Semitism Causes Controversy On Campus
Rutgers Admins' Apology For Condemning Anti-Semitism Causes Controversy On Campus The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is causing tension at Rutgers University. A day after administrators sent an email out condemning anti-Semitism, they issued a second email apologizing for the first. Particularly, for not being more inclusive. Rutgers University-New Brunswick chancellor Christopher Molloy and provost Francine Conway sent the first email Wednesday, speaking out against the rise in anti-Semitic acts experienced in the U.S. stemming from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  On Thursday, the university's Students for the Justice of Palestine organization released a statement "e…

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by Cecilia Levine
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
News
'Racist, Islamophobic' Tweets Spark Review Of Sussex County College, Republican Party Trustee 'Racist, Islamophobic' Tweets Spark Review Of Sussex County College, Republican Party Trustee
'Racist, Islamophobic' Tweets Spark Review Of Sussex County College, Republican Party Trustee Sussex County officials are investigating a series of racist and offensive tweets and memes shared on the county's Republican party's Twitter account. The county's Republican committee chairman Jerry Scanlan is "under scrutiny" for the tweets that targeted Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, whom President Trump recently suggested they should be deported, NJ.com reports. GOP trustees vowed to review the tweets after audience members spoke out at a Tuesday meeting, which Scanlan of Hopatcong did not attend. One of the t…

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by Cecilia Levine
DV Plus - Fairfield, CT
Politics
Law Students Question UConn President's Stance On Free Speech Law Students Question UConn President's Stance On Free Speech
Law Students Question UConn President's Stance On Free Speech Some University of Connecticut Law students have requested a public apology from UConn President Susan Herbst, who they claim raised questions about a Hartford speech on Islamophobia by Palestinian-American feminist activist Linda Sarsour. Herbst, who plans to retire this summer, let the April event go ahead as planned after organizers added a panelist on anti-Semitism, according to a university spokeswoman.  The law students insist Herbst’s office was wrong to intervene after the event was reviewed and pre-approved by UConn police officers and the university’s communications office. …

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by Jon Craig
Mount Pleasant, NY
Politics
Trump Tweets Support For Jeanine Pirro As Fox Pulls Her From Show After Islamophobic Comments Trump Tweets Support For Jeanine Pirro As Fox Pulls Her From Show After Islamophobic Comments
Trump Tweets Support For Jeanine Pirro As Fox Pulls Her From Show After Islamophobic Comments President Donald Trump is going to bat for former Westchester County District Attorney and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro after she was reportedly suspended for making disparaging comments about Muslim Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Pirro made headlines on her Saturday, March 9 show when she commented that Omar is “not getting this anti-Israel sentiment doctrine from the Democrat Party. So if it’s not rooted in the party, where is she getting it from?”  “Think about it. Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59 tells women to cover so they won’t get molested. Is her adherence to t…

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by Zak Failla
Somers, NY
News
State Police Increase Presence At Mosques After New Zealand Mass Shooting State Police Increase Presence At Mosques After New Zealand Mass Shooting
State Police Increase Presence At Mosques After New Zealand Mass Shooting There is an increased police presence at New York mosques and houses of worship following the mass shootings in New Zealand. On Friday, an immigrant-hating white nationalist killed at least 49 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand that was broadcast live online. One man has been arrested and charged with murder, while two others have been taken into police custody for further investigation. The gunman left behind a 74-page manifesto that was posted on social media under the name of Brenton Tarrant, declaring himself as a white nationalist out for revenge. Jacinda Ardern, New Z…

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by Zak Failla
White Plains, NY
Politics
Racist, Sexist, Anti-Gay: Chappaqua's Hillary Clinton Unloads On Trump Racist, Sexist, Anti-Gay: Chappaqua's Hillary Clinton Unloads On Trump
Racist, Sexist, Anti-Gay: Chappaqua's Hillary Clinton Unloads On Trump Hillary Clinton unloaded on President Donald Trump, charging her former presidential rival with being racist, sexist and anti-gay rights. 'He has been racist, he's been sexist, he's been Islamophobic, he has been anti-LGBTQ, I mean, there's a long list,' Clinton told the Atlantic Events Festival last week. She also said there's "a lot to be concerned about" over Trump's Supreme Court appointee Brett Kavanaugh. The former presidential candidate and Secretary of State from Chappaqua cited Trump's behavior in the wake of Charlottesville, Virginia, riots in 2017, which were provoked …

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by Jon Craig
White Plains, NY
Politics
'Punish A Muslim Day' Reports Prompt Quick Latimer Condemnation 'Punish A Muslim Day' Reports Prompt Quick Latimer Condemnation
'Punish A Muslim Day' Reports Prompt Quick Latimer Condemnation Westchester County Executive George Latimer said, “Reports of a ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ are vile, wrong and have no place in our society. It is not who we are and it is not who we strive to be – as a local community, a state or as a nation."  Police patrols are being stepped up at New York mosques and Islamic centers in response to fears that a viral anti-Muslim campaign that originated in the United Kingdom will spread to New York. In March, a letter began circulating in the U.K. that said Tuesday, April 3 had been designated Punish a Muslim Day. It laid out a points-based reward system…

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by Jon Craig