Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Take Dramatic Jump in London and California

July 29, 2005

Source: Daily Times

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-7-2005_pg7_15

On July 29, 2005 the Daily Times reported, "The number of hate-related incidents against Muslims has increased in London and the US state of California, Muslim groups said on Thursday... But London police chief Ian Blair said racially and religiously motivated crime remained at a low level for a large city...

In California, the number of hate-related incidents reported against Muslims jumped by 39 percent last year, said the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The group said that 308 incidents including hate crimes, airport profiling, harassment and discrimination were reported in 2004, up from 221 a year earlier. The 2004 figure, the highest in CAIR’s seven-year history, appeared in the group’s annual report, according to the organisation’s Ra’id Faraj, but does not mean there has been a sudden upsurge in violence against Muslims.

The inflated number is 'really important to put it in perspective' as it also reflected a growing awareness of the problem and rising confidence among California Muslims to report such incidents."