"American Muslim children should be able to take part in public activities," Hooper

WASHINGTON, March 7 (IslamOnline.net) – A new anti-Muslim hate crime was committed against Muslim Girl Scouts in Virginia who were harassed by a man when he accused them of waging "violent jihad" as well as referring to what he called the troops’ "false lord".

Urging for an immediate action, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, called on law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident, CAIR said in a press release obtained by IslamOnline.net Sunday, March 7.

The incident occurred as the six Girl Scout Brownies and Juniors were selling cookies outside a Giant grocery store in Herndon, Va., Saturday, March 6, when a man began verbally harassing the girls and their two troop leaders, saying "Jesus saves" and trying to get them to take a religious tract with a picture of the burning World Trade Center on the cover, the press release recalled.

He also referred to what he called the troops’ "false lord."

After repeatedly asking the man to stop his harassing behavior, which was frightening the girls, one troop leader told him she would call the police.

The man, who was not identified in the press release, attacked the girl saying, "You are being a true Muslim, waging violent jihad."

No Action Taken

Some of the girls, and the troop leader who said she would call the police, were wearing Islamic headscarves, or hijab, along with their Girl Scout uniforms.

Adding to the girls shock and disappointment, police were called to the scene, but did not take action against the aggressive man.

CAIR Communications Director, Ibrahim Hooper, commented on the incident calling for securing participation of American Muslim Children in public activities.

"American Muslim children should be able to take part in public activities without fear of harassment or religious intimidation," Ibrahim Hooper said.

"We call on local and national law enforcement authorities to look into the case to determine whether this man constitutes a real threat to the Muslim community."

The troop leader filed a formal complaint with the Herndon Police Department.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 25 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.

A year ago, several officials representing U.S. law enforcement authorities and federal agencies met with leaders from Arab American and Muslim American communities Tuesday, March 25, 2003, to discuss the backlash and potential rise in hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims.

Anti-Muslim attacks surged in the U.S. immediately after the September 11 attacks.

A report carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) a year after the attacks said that anti-Islamic hate crimes surged by 1,600 percent in the United States.