CAIR-MN responds to vandalism of NE Minneapolis Islamic center

The Dar Al Qalam Cultural Center in northeast Minneapolis was vandalized Sunday morning when a man ripped security cameras from its walls and smashed them.

Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), joined host Cathy Wurzer to discuss how this incident relates to a wave of hate crimes against Muslims.

Hussein said this is the third incident of vandalism against the Minnesota Muslim community in the last two months. Across the country, hate crimes are on the rise against the Muslim community, the Asian community, and the Jewish community, Hussein added, and CAIR-MN is asking mosques across the state to increase security.

Against the backdrop of the bombing of the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington in 2017, “The Minnesota Muslim community is on edge,” Hussein said.

“America needs to wake up,” Hussein said. “We cannot allow white supremacy groups to continue to threaten the lives of all Americans.”

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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