Possible Hate Crime at Rochester Mosque
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is asking local, state and federal authorities to investigate an incident involving a mosque in downtown Rochester.
Officials with the Abubakar Islamic Center discovered bacon had been left at the front door and in the parking lot of the mosque Saturday morning. A statement from CAIR says the incident was reported to the Rochester Police Department and the group wants it investigated as a possible hate crime.
“As with a number of similar attempted acts of religious desecration nationwide, the use of pork products to target an Islamic institution is a clear indicator of a bias motive and should be investigated as a possible hate crime,” said CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein.
This marks the second time this month the CAIR group has issued statements concerning incidents in Rochester. Earlier this month, the group publicized a complaint against the management of a local restaurant. CAIR demanded an apology from Red Lobster after the family reported being mistreated because of their religious beliefs.
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