The Long Beach Islamic Center in Signal Hill was one of several around the nation that were sent anti-Muslim letters from a yet unidentified source. ” captionposition=”bottom-left” lightbox=”off” floater=”on” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”none”] [aesop_character name=”Cory Bilicko” caption=”Managing Editor” align=”left” force_circle=”off”] When Long Beach Islamic Center Chairman Tarek Mohamed received a hateful letter aimed at the local Muslim community in early 2016, he read it and tossed it into the trash.
After receiving another one around the time Donald Trump had been announced as the Republican presidential candidate in July, he became a bit more concerned.
On Wednesday, Nov. 23, he received yet another one, but this time he contacted the FBI.
The local mosque he leads, which is located in Signal Hill, was one of several Islamic centers that were mailed handwritten letters calling Muslims “children of Satan” and “vile and filthy people.”
According to Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), in a Nov. 28 letter he sent to FBI Director James B. Comey, the others targeted in California were Granada Hills Masjid, Islamic Center of Northridge, Islamic Center of Claremont and Evergreen Islamic Center. In Georgia, the Islamic Center of Savannah received a similar letter.
On Wednesday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced on its website that its Massachusetts chapter was calling for stepped-up police protection of local mosques after an anti-Muslim letter supporting Trump was sent to Masjid Al-Kareem in Providence, Rhode Island. The same day, media outlets in Florida were reporting that a similar letter had reached a mosque in the southern part of the state. All letters appear to have originated from the same source in California.
During a press conference this week at the Islamic Center of Southern California in Koreatown, FBI counter-terrorism specialist Stephen Woolery said his agency is focused on protecting the community.
“We’re committed together to show unification whenever there is any kind of expression— any kind of incident— of hate or bias directed,” Woolery said, “not just at our Muslim-American community, but our community at large.”
Video by Justin Covington | DIG Magazine
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau announced this week that, based on the post office used to mail the letters, they are optimistic that they will be able to locate the individual who sent letters to mosques in the L.A. area that were postmarked Nov. 19.
The letter refers to Trump as “a new sheriff in town” who is “going to cleanse America and make it shine again.”
“And, he’s going to start with you Muslims,” it states. “He’s going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the jews [sic]. You Muslims would be wise to pack your bags and get out of Dodge.”
In an in-person interview Tuesday, Mohamed said that, right after receiving the letter last week, he attended an Islamic leadership convention in Ontario, California, where he found out other Muslim leaders had gotten the same letter.
“That time, I felt like this is something we really shouldn’t be silent about,” Mohamed said. “I started talking to the media and inviting the FBI to get involved.”
Mohamed said his organization had contacted the Signal Hill Police Department (SHPD), who sent an officer to take a report. However, he said he understood that the local police would be rather limited in their abilities to address an issue that was quickly becoming more widespread, as other Islamic organizations were reporting their receipt of the letter.
“The police department is going to be limited to Signal Hill,” he said. “I felt very sorry for them because they cannot go [farther] than that. They cannot investigate it.”
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Screen-Shot-2016-12-01-at-4.06.34-PM.png” credit=”Council on American-Islamic Relations Twitter” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Below, several Islamic centers around the country— including the Long Beach Islamic Center in Signal Hill— have received letters that appear to include the same anti-Muslim content (above) from a yet unidentified source in California. ” captionposition=”right” revealfx=”off”] Ron Sagmit, a lieutenant with SHPD, told the Signal Tribune that there was not much information to share but his department is cognizant of the incident.
“The SHPD is aware of a threatening letter received by the Islamic Center,” Sagmit said in an emailed response. “We are taking precautions to ensure the safety of those attending the Islamic Center.”
In an emailed response to the Signal Tribune, Signal Hill Mayor Lori Woods, who had attended a Nov. 18 community gathering at the local mosque to show support of the Muslim community, said it is unfortunate that someone would threaten a faith-based organization within the community.
“The leadership and members of the Long Beach Islamic Center have been giving and kind individuals, participating and supporting many of our city activities and volunteering at events that benefit the community,” Woods wrote. “I feel assured that the source of the threatening letters will be found and that our local law enforcement can aid in preventing any threat from being carried out against our Muslim neighbors.”
Another elected official who has been visibly supportive of the local Muslim community is US Rep. Alan Lowenthal, who attended a recent banquet for CAIR.
“I attended the banquet for CAIR to show support and solidarity for the Muslim community because there’s no doubt there have been not only these letters, there’s been an upsurge in hate literature, and the American-Islamic community is under attack in many ways— not the entire community, but certainly a segment of the community,” Lowenthal said in a phone interview Wednesday. “What was interesting, besides the mosque attacks [was] after the mosques— including the one in Signal Hill— received the letters threatening genocide, we posted something on our Facebook… ‘The way to defeat hatred and bigotry is by standing in solidarity with those being oppressed and threatened. Muslim-Americans are an important part of the American tapestry and they need our support.’ I received a lot of responses to that— both likes and dislikes. Many, many people liked it, but we also received a significant number of people who wrote— not exactly what the letters were— but some very, very negative things.”
Lowenthal said there is no doubt that an anti-Muslim sentiment exists in the country.
“And I think this latest political election emboldened many of those people who already felt ‘anti-‘ feelings against the American-Muslim community— and, to some, to act upon it,” the congressmember said. “Some people get very concerned when people look different than they do and act differently, and they think they’re not Americans, not realizing we’re all part of this tapestry and Americans do not come in one size or shape or one ethnicity or one religion. We’re a nation that includes all as part of a common value system promoting democracy and freedom.”
Lowenthal said that, unfortunately, certain statements Trump has made have normalized— and even added to— the vitriol against Muslim-Americans.
“Not saying that Mr. Trump feels this, but much of the statements that he has made have led to that,” Lowenthal said. “And I think, as a nation, we need to go through a healing. Obviously, we have to be vigilant on those that are attacking us, but people should not be attacked just because of their religious beliefs. They should be attacked if they are definitely anti-American and engage in activities against our country. But the vast majority— overwhelming majority— of Muslim-Americans have been here a long time [and] are only supportive of our country and believe in our country.”
