us Muslim feeling unsafe after mosque attack

Transcript

00:00Unfortunately, I would say that Muslim worshippers feel extremely unsafe in this country when we are

00:05seeing a number of mosques being attacked, not in a particular place, not at a particular time,

00:10but across the country. And over the past six months, that sends a very, very clear message

00:16to Muslims observing Ramadan this year, that when they go to the mosque, they may not be safe.

00:22In the last 10 days, we've seen at least two public incidents in which individuals are seen

00:27attacking mosques in pretty egregious ways. For example, in Chicago, an individual reportedly

00:33went to a mosque, made threats against worshippers, shouted all Muslims should die,

00:38and then smashed one of the windows. In another instance, all the way here in Bridgeport,

00:42Connecticut, we've seen an individual reportedly leaving a bag of bacon at a mosque store.

00:49Back in November and December, there were several mosques in Philadelphia that were vandalized.

00:54Attacks on places of worship are really a part of this broader trend that we're seeing,

00:58in which anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents are being reported across the country.

01:03I think it's really important to recognize that our political leaders are actively wielding

01:07Islamophobic rhetoric in order to justify violence against Palestinians in Gaza. President Biden,

01:13for example, plays a huge role in that. The White House has come out, for example, and called

01:20American Muslim members of Congress repugnant because they called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

01:25It is that kind of rhetoric that has been ongoing for the past six months.