An In-Depth Look at Hamas-Linked CAIR’s ‘FATAL: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate’ Report

In the lead to the story “Ceasefire Protest Turns Violent,” KGO ABC7 anchor Dan Ashley tells his audience that victims say that what happened to them is part of an alarming trend. But the victims don’t actually say that. Reporter Lena Howland says that, and gratuitously brings up a report from the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Before taking an in depth look at CAIR’s report, let us gain a perspective on what violence looks like.

Violence, and hostility involves such actions as attacking police, blocking traffic, disrupting holiday celebrations, threatening to murder elected officials, threatening to negatively influence elections, engaging in mob action, and supporting a terrorist organization.

It is also important to understand that CAIR is playing word games. The “pro-Palestine” events are really pro-Hamas and anti-Israel. The “pro-Palestinians” are not interested in peace. They would never dream of pressuring Hamas to surrender, or of calling for the release of the hostages in order to stop the co-called “genocide.” They are analogous to calling for a ceasefire with Nazi Germany during World War II.

So let us look at CAIR’s claims of a crisis level of hate in its new report, “FATAL: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate.”

From the “Hate Crimes” section of the CAIR report:

California: A man allegedly tried to murder members of the Muslim community at a park in Rancho Cordova in August. The man reportedly tried to run over Muslim community members of South Asian heritage while yelling racial slurs and allegedly threatening to “shoot and bomb” them. The suspect was reportedly arrested on two felonies and a hate crime charge.

This man may be mentally ill. Just hours earlier, he had an “disturbance” at a liquor store, is a registered sex offender, and with the help of his family, surrendered to police twelve hours after driving through the park. This is an isolated incident that happened in August, and is in no way caused by Israeli violence.

California: An Arab Muslim student at Stanford University was reportedly targeted in a hit-and run on campus in November. The driver had reportedly made eye contact with the student and accelerated and hit him, after which the driver reportedly yelled “f*** you and your people.” The student, who was hospitalized following the incident, reports having seen the driver at a pro-Palestinian rally in the month before the incident. The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office reportedly opened a hate crime investigation into the incident.

Hamas violence and support for Hamas here at home might be the cause of this incident.

District of Columbia: A Muslim and Palestinian woman was reportedly threatened by a man while riding the D.C. Metro in October. The woman had been riding the Metro on her way to a demonstration for Palestinian rights when a man reportedly asked her, “How’d you like to lose your life?” On video, the man is then heard asking the woman, “How’d you like to have your head beheaded?” According to the victim and witnesses, the man also reportedly possessed a firearm, which he slightly removed from his pocket. He allegedly made other aggressive remarks toward the woman and her acquaintances before leaving the train. Law enforcement reportedly refused to investigate the incident.

The man was challenging the woman about her support for Hamas, and the police are not considering it a hate incident.

District of Columbia: A Palestinian staff member at American University reportedly received a hateful death threat slipped under his office door in October. The note said, in part, “You might get lucky with a missile and meet your Allah sooner! Death to all Palestinians!” A complaint to CAIR offices reports that the staff member has not received adequate security and protection from American University administrators following the incident. The American University Police Department and federal law enforcement are reportedly investigating the threat.

Somehow, after CAIR tells us that they have evidence of a deluge of hate in this country, we are left expecting more. Remember that with over 8,000 complaints to choose from, this is what CAIR shares with us.

Illinois: In October, six-year-old Palestinian-American boy Wadea Al-Fayoume was stabbed and murdered by his family’s landlord in Chicago. According to his mother, who was also attacked, the landlord yelled “you Muslims must die!” before attempting to choke and stab her. After she attempted to call for law enforcement, she found that the landlord had stabbed her six-year-old son to death. The landlord has been indicted by a grand jury on first-degree murder, attempted murder, battery, and hate crime charges.

Wadea Al-Fayoume was murdered on October 13, nearly 2 weeks before Israel responded to the attack by Hamas. This is a tragic story, but the fact remains that Wadea was killed in response to Hamas violence.

Illinois: A man reportedly threatened to shoot two Muslim men after allegedly shouting anti-Muslim statements in October. The man reportedly approached one of the victims, who had arrived in his vehicle to an apartment complex to meet with a friend, and began shouting obscenities that targeted his Muslim faith and telling him he didn’t belong in the country. The man then allegedly punched the first victim’s car window before going into the lobby of the apartment building, where he encountered the second victim and threatened to beat him. A short time later, one of the victims was sitting on the bench outside the building when the man reportedly lifted one side of the bench such that the victim fell off. The man reportedly told the two victims that he called four of his friends to come and shoot them. A hate crime charge was reportedly brought against the man in October.

This is an isolated incident, not connected to anything beyond the attacker.

New Jersey: A Princeton University staffer allegedly assaulted protestors for Palestinian human rights in October. The staff member was reportedly seen yelling at protestors, making obscene gestures, and filming them. She is also seen grabbing another protestor’s phone and running off with it, apparently pulling the protestor’s hair in the process.

Again, another incident not connected to anything except opposition to support for Hamas.

New York: In 2016, an Uber driver was reportedly attacked by his passengers, two intoxicated men. One passenger punched the driver in the jaw and both hurled expletives and racial slurs at him. As a result of the attack, the client suffered a fractured elbow and a dislocated neck, among other injuries. In May 2023, after years of litigation, and with the assistance of co-counsel at Cravath, Swaine and Moore, LLP, CAIR-NY secured a six-figure settlement for the client.

2016? CAIR should have plenty of material to choose from in 2023. This entry should be dismissed out of hand.

North Carolina: A Muslim member of the North Carolina Democratic Party was reportedly subjected to Islamophobic remarks by other party members. Following his public support of Palestinian human rights in 2022, other party members reportedly spread Islamophobic remarks about him, reportedly including the claim that he may be an “Iranian spy.” In early 2023, the man made a complaint to party leadership, which he claims was not addressed in a timely manner. In late 2023, CAIR sent a letter on his behalf, requesting that party leadership investigate and address his complaint.

Another irrelevant entry from CAIR that is not part of its 8,000 complaints in 2023; it is from 2022.

Ohio: A man reportedly targeted Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim students at Cleveland State University for their pro-Palestine human rights activism in early 2023. The man had previously been accused of reportedly cyberharassing Palestinian students or students with pro-Palestinian views the previous year, after which a CSU student reportedly filed a protection order against him, which was granted. However, in January, the man reportedly returned to campus and stole the banner belonging to the CSU student organization Students for Palestinian Human Rights. He was also arrested by CSU police in January for reportedly violating the protection order. In February, he was reportedly banned from the campus, and in July, he reportedly entered a plea to reduce his charges and was sentenced to probation, a community orientation program, and anger management classes

Another isolated incident that is connected only to general opposition to support for Hamas in America.

Ohio: In October, a man driving a truck reportedly physically and verbally assaulted participants in a pro-Palestine march in Columbus. While members of student organizations and community supporters conducted a peaceful march in downtown Columbus, the man reportedly began shouting obscenities about Palestinians and then swerved out of his lane to hit a demonstrator on a bike. A suspect was reportedly taken into custody.

Many people might conclude that this assault was a reaction to public support for Hamas in this country. But CAIR is again trying to blame Israel for this.

Pennsylvania: In October, a man reportedly brandished a firearm against Muslims at a pro-Palestine protest at the footsteps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol. The rally had been organized by the Central Pennsylvania Committee of Masajid, a network of mosques and Islamic organizations. The man reportedly approached the crowd in his vehicle, started yelling racial slurs, and then pointed a gun at the protestors. The suspect has reportedly been taken into custody and faces a felony count of ethnic intimidation and misdemeanor charges of making terroristic threats and simple assault by physical menace.

But the police did not charge him with a hate crime.

CAIR’s report is an embarrassment for the organization. More than half of its evidence of hate crimes in 2023 are either irrelevant, or are not considered to be hate crimes by the police. None of these incidents seem to be inspired by “Israeli violence,” but rather by Hamas violence. And this is the cream of the crop out of more than 8,000 incidents?

Let’s look further into CAIR’s report.

Despite CAIR’s claims of an overwhelming number of complaints, they include incidents from previous years such as 2019 (pg. 17), 2021 (pg. 22), and 2020 (pg. 30).

There were a concerning number of attacks on mosques last year, but all of them were committed by mentally ill people (pg. 18).

CAIR brings up the King Khalid Mosque in North Carolina, which has been closed since the pandemic. It is the property of Shaw University, and does not belong to CAIR, which wants the mosque reopened. This is not a hate incident. (pg.18)

An eighth-grade student from Corona Del Mar Middle and High School was allegedly suspended for saying “Free Palestine” in November (pg. 19).

This is not a hate incident.

Oklahoma: In September, Oklahoma State Superintendent announced an ongoing partnership with Prager University (PragerU). PragerU is known for being a right-wing educational website that has produced videos spreading anti-Muslim rhetoric and conspiracy theories. In one such video, the host reportedly claims that “Islam is not a religion of peace.” (pg. 21)

They are referring to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an ex-Muslim whom CAIR has repeatedly tried to censor. This is not evidence of an epidemic of hate.

Maryland: In November, a Muslim teacher was placed on administrative leave reportedly due to her email signature tagline, which expressed support for Palestinians. (pg. 23)

Her email signature was “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This is inappropriate for work, and she was suspended from her job at the school. That is not hate.

Michigan: In April, a female Muslim student was reportedly rejected from an internship interview after declining to shake hands with the CEO of PGF Technology Group Inc. due to her religious beliefs. The student had reportedly refused to shake hands with the CEO because of her sincerely held religious beliefs. (pg. 23)

Again, this is not “hate,” but it is definitely ridiculous.

Minnesota: In October, two Muslim students at Edina High School reported that they were suspended for three days following their participation in a walkout for Palestinian human rights. The students reportedly participated in chanting common pro-Palestinian phrases. (pg.23)

This is inappropriate conduct at school, and again is not hate.

Florida: In October, the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida issued an order deactivating Students for Justice in Palestine chapters across the state. (pg. 23)

SJP is a thuggish pro-Hamas group, and banning them from campus is not “hate.”

California: A newly-arrived Afghan-Muslim teenager was shot twice and hospitalized after a police shooting in January. (pg. 29)

This is about an Afghan family having a knife fight outside their residence in Tracy, California. When the police arrived, one of the family advanced on the police holding a knife. CAIR contributed nothing to this except to say the police needed “cultural sensitivity training.” The police need the training, not the Afghans.

And so on.

All of CAIR’s reports are like this. CAIR’s “Hate” reports do not stand up to scrutiny.