Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Madihha Ahussain, special counsel for anti-Muslim bigotry at Muslim Advocates, regarding the arrest of three suspects in the August 2017 bombing of Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington and the planned bombing of an abortion clinic. In the aftermath of the attack, the White House responded by suggesting that the bombing was staged as a “fake hate crime:”

“We are relieved that law enforcement officials have made arrests and continue to investigate this case, and we urge them to conduct a full and thorough investigation into all possible motives for this horrific incident, including bias. We hope that the people of Bloomington can rest a bit easier tonight.

However, we cannot ignore the context in which this incident occurred. Anti-Muslim rhetoric from the administration and public officials has led to an unprecedented spike in hate violence against Muslims and mosque attacks, just like this one. In fact, after the attack, the White House gave tacit cover to the perpetrators by suggesting that the bombing was staged as a ‘fake hate crime.’ When the administration fails to swiftly condemn the bombing of a house of worship and instead makes excuses for the perpetrators, it sends a clear and unmistakable statement to the nation that these bombers – whoever they are – have a friend in the White House.

We applaud the members of the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center for their tenacity and strength in the face of these attacks and for the people of Bloomington for their unity in the face of divisive violence.”

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.

 

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