Tampa, Florida: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called
on the FBI to investigate a shooting attack in which the alleged perpetrator
objected to a man perceived as "Middle Eastern" being in the company
of a "white" woman.
In a news release, CAIR’s Florida chapter said the two
people attacked in the incident were harassed with “racial slurs” as they were
leaving a local Walmart at 3 a.m. yesterday.
The alleged attacker shot the man at least twice in the face
with a pellet gun. Local law enforcement authorities are investigating the
incident as a hate crime.
"We urge the FBI to investigate this case because it
seems to fit a disturbing pattern of recent incidents targeting Muslims in
Florida and nationwide," said CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Hassan Shibly.
Shibly noted that his office called for stepped-up security
at mosques and Islamic schools in that state following an incident last month
in which a woman carrying a sword was arrested after entering a mosque on a
school campus.