(SEATTLE, WA, 12/30/2024) – The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on law enforcement to investigate vandalism at the Islamic Center of Federal Way in Kent, Washington, as a possible hate crime.
Just after midnight on Saturday, December 28, security video shows a man throwing rocks through and breaking the window of the mosque, then driving away in a pickup truck.
WATCH THE SECURITY FOOTAGE HERE
“We call on local, state and national law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this attack, as the brazen acts depicted in the video are highly disturbing,” said CAIR-WA Executive Director Imraan Siddiqi. “It is very concerning to see a house of worship targeted by violence.”
SEE: Police search for suspect after vandalism at Kent mosque, KIRO 7
This targeted act of vandalism and damage to property comes only a year and a half after the center was broken into and robbed in the summer of 2023. During a five-month span in 2021-22, multiple mosques in Washington State were targeted by either hate, vandalism or burglaries.
CAIR-WA also called on mosques and Islamic institutions to use the advice offered in CAIR’s “Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety” booklet to help keep those facilities safe.
The Federal Way mosque can be contacted with any relevant information regarding this crime through the organization’s Facebook page.
From January to June 2024, CAIR documented 4,951 incoming bias complaints nationwide, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2023.
SEE: New CAIR Data Shows Anti-Muslim, Anti-Palestinian Hate Remain Elevated in First Half of 2024
Earlier this year, CAIR’s national office released its 2024 civil rights report, which revealed the highest number of complaints it has ever received in its 30-year history. Titled “Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate,” the report documented 8,061 complaints. Nearly half of all complaints received in 2023 were reported in the final three months of the year.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.