Interfaith leaders and civil rights groups gather in solidarity against Islamophobia on Thursday, December 17 – Islamic House of Wisdom

DEARBORN — Hussein El-Katib and his daughter were driving along I-79 North in West Virginia on the morning of Saturday, December 12 when they spotted a vehicle that caught their attention.

A black Hummer driving in front of them had the words “Kill Muslim” painted on its rear window. On the driver’s side of the vehicle, an American flag stood above a window. 

El-Katib’s impulse reaction was to take photos of the encounter and post it on his Facebook page. But the hate message didn’t take a toll on him until a while later. 

As a Muslim resident who has been living in West Virginia since 1991, El-Khatib was beginning to feel uncomfortable. 

“The more I thought about it the more it bothered me,” El-Khatib said. “It can potentially be very dangerous. It is a very violent message and it can put anyone in the state of self defense. I know this isn’t a common theme or trend here, but it’s disturbing because it can deteriorate fast.”

El-Khatib isn’t alone in feeling the discomfort. In the last two weeks, thousands of Muslim Americans have been targets of hate crimes, threats and acts of intimidation caused by other Americans. The backlash comes on the heels of the Paris attacks last month and the San Bernardino shootings two weeks ago.

In New York City, a sixth grade Muslim girl was beaten by other students who attempted to remove her hijab. In Texas, a Muslim family had their home vandalized twice just weeks after moving into the neighborhood. In California, arsonists attacked a number of mosques.

Even everyday crimes such as robberies are now being enticed by hate. On Saturday, December 13, a Punjabi party store clerk in Grand Rapids was shot in the face shortly after being called a terrorist by a robber.

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), called the Grand Rapids incident “troubling.” He is asking the local community to report all acts of intimidation so that civil rights groups can have the correct data.

“As you know, there’s been a rash of events taking place across the country within the past week from a mosque being fire-bombed to death threats against two CAIR offices,” Walid told The Arab American News. “All threats are acts of intimidation and should be reported immediately. Law enforcement should be called if there’s any sort of road rage incidents or threats. These cases should all be logged by CAIR, ADC (American- Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee) and the ACRL (American Arab Civil Rights League). It’s very important for us to have this data.”

Walid said Muslim women who wear the hijab are the most vulnerable to threats and hate crimes because they are the most visible. 

He recommends Muslim women in the metro Detroit area be extra cautious in coming weeks and to not travel to unfamiliar communities that don’t welcome diversity.

“Avoid traveling in unfamiliar places, in particular at night,” Walid said. “Women who wear the hijab are the most visible symbols of Islam in America, besides our mosques. It puts Muslim women who wear the hijab at greater risk of being targeted by haters and cowards.”

Walid said preventive action is key during this sensitive time. He urges mosques across Michigan to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies to conduct traffic control during hours when mosques are usually frequented.

Many mosques in the metro Detroit area have already heightened security in recent weeks, including the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn and the Islamic Center of Detroit during Friday prayers. 

Law enforcement address threats

Security was a topic of discussion at the BRIDGES meeting in Royal Oak on Tuesday when local leaders and civil rights groups met with law enforcement agencies to address a number of concerns, including the rise of hate crimes targeting Muslim communities across the country.

Barbara McQuade, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, told The Arab American News that many Americans perceive that their rights to express their disgruntled views towards a particular religion or ethnicity— even if it may cause intimidation or fear— are protected under the First Amendment. 

Her office recently has had several cases fall in its lap where that line appears to have been blurred. 

“The line between First Amendment protected free speech and threats is very murky,” McQuade said. “But we always tell members of the community that if you feel like you have been threatened or harassed, please let us know because we want to analyze it. There are a number of things we can do. If it does amount to a threat, we will prosecute them because we think it sends an important deterrent message to people to know that there are consequences for their actions.”

McQuade noted that in many cases even when someone’s words aren’t plausible enough to warrant a charge, law enforcement agencies will still let that individual know that their actions will be monitored.

“Even if it’s just harassing speech that does not amount to a threat or a crime we can prosecute, the person who communicated it will still get a visit from the FBI or the police department to talk about how serious this is,” McQuade said.  “And often times that also has an important deterrent effect and that person realizes that their actions were noticed and that they are being held accountable.”

In the last month, many Americans have lashed out with threats toward the Dearborn community via social media. Sarah Beebe, a Fort Gratiot Navy veteran, caused an uproar in November when her tweet, which insinuated violence against Dearborn, went viral. 

Kevin Mulcahy, assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said there are a number of factors the U.S. Attorney’s office takes into consideration when investigating threats, including the individual’s age, gender, political ideology, criminal history and accessibility to weapons. 

“The specific and imminent threats are the ones that give us the most concern and are more likely to rise to the level of being the case that we prosecute,” Mulcahy said. 

He said the U.S. Attorney’s office prosecutes anywhere between five and 10 threat cases a year and evaluates on average one case a week.

Community response

On Thursday, December 17, the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights held an interfaith press conference in solidarity against Islamophobia. Those in attendance included imams, priests, bishops, rabbis and civil rights groups.

Imam Mohammad Elahi, leader of the mosque, told reporters that the religion continues to be misconstrued by political leaders such as Donald Trump, who earlier this month called for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S..

“We know that there is no such thing as radical Islam,” Elahi said. “If it’s radical. It’s not Islam. However, Islam has become singled out and phobia has turned into hostility and hatred. Certainly, Islamophobia is a political paid project; it’s a product of greed for money and might on one hand and ignorance and injustice on the other hand.” 

Rashida Tlaib, manager of the “Take on Hate” campaign, took the podium to tell the community that silence against bigotry targeting any community should not be tolerated.

She called the hate and fear propaganda leading the Republican Party an “un-American movement.”

Tlaib said the Muslim community should’ve seen Trump’s attacks coming, especially after he targeted the Mexican community earlier this year. 

“I was sick and tired of him when he went after Mexicans and the way he did it to dehumanize them,” Tlaib said. “But we were so quiet. I wasn’t, of course, because many of my neighbors in southwest Detroit are Mexican. This is the moment where we have to learn a lesson— when he goes after one, we all have to speak out.”

Rev. Edwin Rowe of the Detroit Metro Interfaith Center said now was a crucial time for both the Christian and Jewish communities to stand with Muslims. 

“Just as White folks must stand against the evils of racism against people of color, we cannot allow victims of Islamophobia to be left alone to defend themselves,” Rowe said. “Our silence will not protect us.”

ADC-MI Director Fatina Abdrabboh said Trump’s call to ban Muslims due to the fear of ISIS infiltrating the U.S. is one that holds no merit, considering the terrorist group’s largest target has been the Muslim population.

“It’s often forgotten that more Muslims have been killed by ISIS than any other group combined,” Abdrabboh said. “And while the KKK continues to parade itself, even today, as a network of good old Christian boys, people would never stand by in silence and allow Christianity to be condemned for the burning of crosses, the lynching of Black people and the continued racism that we all know exists today.” 

The event at the Islamic House of Wisdom kicks off a string of upcoming events being organized by community members  to condemn the increase in hate crimes against Muslim Americans. 

On Saturday, December 19, Muslims in Dearborn will hold a “Rally against Hate” to protest rising Islamophobia in conservative America. Organizers are using the hashtag #Dearbornstrong to rally supporters across the nation. The event is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. in front of the Islamic Center of America. 

Civil rights groups and local leaders have also been meeting at The Arab American News office in preparation of a press conference scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.