Air Rifle Shots Fired At Illinois Muslim Education Center
MOTORN GROVE, Illinois -- The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) said today that two air rifle shots were fired last night at the outer wall of the Muslim Education Center (MEC) mosque in Morton Grove, Ill.
The shots were heard by worshipers who were outside the mosque and
were powerful enough to damage the building's brick wall. (The Muslim
Community Center (MCC), of which the MEC is a suburban branch, is the
oldest Muslim center in Illinois.)
A neighbor, who has a history of opposition to the mosque, allegedly fired the shots. Morton Grove police, the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office are all investigating the incident.
"This is obviously an alarming situation that all parties are taking
very seriously. The weapon allegedly used in this incident is powerful
enough to kill, and the projectiles reportedly came within inches of the
head of the security guard on duty," said CAIR-Chicago Executive
Director Ahmed Rehab.
Rehab toured the mosque site today with Muslim community leaders, the
local police commander and the assistant state attorney. He said mosque
leaders and community members are cooperating with the investigation
and that a variety of charges are being considered.
"We have full trust in the professionals handling this investigation.
They are doing everything in their power to keep communities safe and
ensure that justice is served," said Rehab.
Earlier this week, CAIR's national headquarters issued a community
safety advisory for American mosques following other incidents targeting
Muslim houses of worship in Missouri and Rhode Island and after the deadly shooting attack Sunday on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.
In one incident, a Missouri mosque previously targeted by an arsonist burned to the ground. In California, pig legs were left at a southern California mosque and four teens face hate crime charges for harassing worshipers at a northern California mosque.
"We are gravely concerned that we are seeing the rising level of
Islamophobic rhetoric in our society translate into violent behavior,"
Rehab said.
"This last week of Ramadan is the
holiest week of the year for Muslims, and the shots were fired at 8:30, a
little after sunset, the busiest time of the day when Muslims come to
the mosque to break their long day fast and pray together," said MEC
President Dr. Mohammad Aleemuddin.
"This is a school and a house of worship. It's a place for our
families to pray and our children to learn about their world. And we are
being shot at. Community members are terrified, especially children,"
said Aleemuddin.
Yesterday, Chicago Muslims spoke out against what they call are scaremongering comments made by Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh in which he said that Islamic radicals were living in Chicago's suburbs.
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy
organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam,
encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims,
and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
SOURCE: CAIR