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Hate Crimes Against Muslims and Arabs Escalating
WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The number of hate crimes committed against Muslims and Arabs has almost doubled from a week ago, although repeated requests for calm from President George W. Bush and top law enforcement officials were issued.
Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, the number of the reported cases formally opened by the FBI has almost reached 90 civil rights investigations.
On Thursday, Robert Mueller, FBI director said that 30 FBI field offices are investigating attacks against Muslims, Arabs and Sikhs, around the nation.
In the meantime, local police and state agencies are investigating hundreds of other hate cases, including slayings in San Gabriel, California; Mesa, Arizona; and Dallas, Texas.
In addition to numerous shootings and beatings incidents have been reported in which individuals have been dragged from their cars.
Under U.S. statutes, authorities can file federal hate crime charges against individuals who attack others because of their religion, race, sexual orientation, disability or ethnicity.
On Wednesday, criminal charges were filed against James Herrick, 31, jailed for allegedly setting fire to a Pakistani restaurant in Salt Lake City.
Herrick was indicted for allegedly setting ablaze the Curry in a Hurry restaurant, owned by a Pakistani family who moved to the U.S. 15 years ago. According to police, Herrick ignited two jars of gasoline at the back of the restaurant and then drove away.
Court papers say that Herrick "knew that the owners were from the area of the world the suspects of the bombings came from," and that he confessed that "he did this because of what happened" on September 11th.
Although the fire caused little damage, Herrick was indicted for attempting to use fire and explosive materials to damage the building, a charge that carries up to 10 years in prison.
He pleaded not guilty.
In the meantime, in Seattle, a 53-year-old man was charged with shooting at worshippers and attempting to torch a mosque. Patrick Cunningham, was charged with four offenses: obstructing free exercise of religion, attempting to deface religious property, using a gun in a violent crime and attempting to damage a building. He pleaded not guilty.
According to police, Cunningham pointed a gun at two worshipers outside the north Seattle Idris mosque, and doused cars with gasoline.
They said that he also tried to set the cars on fire and hoped to burn the mosque, and then he fled the scene with a gas can.
Steve C. Gonzalez, assistant U.S. Attorney, said that he was firing a .22-caliber revolver at the worshippers, but no one was injured only because "the gun misfired."
On Thursday, Gonzalez said that the evidence is more than circumstantial.
"This was two days after September 11th. He was targeting worshippers because of their religious background."
The man was arrested after his car crashed into a pole, injuring him.
Court papers said that while Cunningham denied he was at the mosque, he said that he was angry about the September 11th terrorist attacks and that he had fired a gun at coyotes earlier in the evening.
Both Herrick and Cunningham's cases occurred two days after the terrorist attacks.
Both of the two suspects were first charged with local offenses in the mosque and restaurant attacks, common occurrences in possible hate crimes cases.
The religion-related charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; a conviction on the other charges could add 15 years or more.
"These indictments are proof that those who attempt to take out their anger and frustration on innocent Americans will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Mueller.
After arresting a suspect by local officials, the federal government weighs whether it too will prosecute, and sometimes the federal government waits to see how state charges turn out before deciding whether it still wants to bring the accused to trial.
In some cases, local jurisdictions bow out because federal charges carry stiffer punishments.
According to federal crime statistics, hate crimes in the U.S. have been traditionally targeted against blacks, Latinos, Jews, Asian Americans and American Indians.
Until now, few such attacks have been targeted against people of the Muslim faith or Arab descent.
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