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CAIR Bulletin – February 1, 2007
New Jersey imams receive threatening letters
TOTOWA, N.J., February 1, 2007 - The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on state and federal law enforcement authorities to treat threatening letters mailed recently to Muslim leaders in that state as hate crimes. The threats targeted the imams, or religious leaders, of at least two New Jersey mosques.
One of the letters, mailed in December of last year and forwarded to CAIR-NJ, stated in part: "Because you worship the devil ALLAH, who has brought death, destruction, and hatred upon my country, you must now DIE!! DEATH TO ALL OF YOU!!!" The same mosque also received a phone call expressing similar views near the time the threatening letter was received.
"We call on the FBI and local law enforcement authorities to classify these threats as hate crimes and to take every measure possible to ensure the safety of those targeted," said CAIR-NJ Communications Director Afsheen Shamsi.
Rep. Pascrell's statement on threatening messages sent to Muslim leaders in NJ
February 1, 2007: U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today released the following statement in response to threatening messages sent to Muslim leaders throughout the state;
"The reprehensible threats made to Muslim leaders throughout our state must be handled by federal and local law enforcement with the utmost seriousness. There is no doubt in my mind that the threats were acts of hate intended to instill fear in the Muslim community. I join my friends in the Muslim community as we call for the highest level of security for the victims of these dangerous messages. Together we stand in unity against the perpetrators of such awful crimes."
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