Issue:

Muslim Advocates Mourns Victims of Mosque Attacks in New Zealand, Urges American Muslims to Stay Vigilant & Social Media Companies To Remove Attacker’s Video

Washington, DC – In the wake of a devastating mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand during Friday prayer services , the American Muslim civil rights group Muslim Advocates released the following statement from its executive director, Farhana Khera:

“We are devastated. Today is a tragedy not just for Muslims, but for all people of faith and goodwill. A house of worship should be a sacred place where people are safe, not a target of hate and bloodshed. These attacks happened during Friday prayer services and, as Muslims across the world and across America gather to worship today, we urge them to stay vigilant and strong.  

This heinous attack is not an anomaly or a surprise. Over the past few years, there has been an epidemic of attacks and planned attacks on Muslim communities and mosques across the United States: mosques were bombed in Bloomington, Minnesota, and burned in Austin and Victoria, Texas, Bellevue, Washington, and Thonotosassa, Florida, and mass attacks were planned against Muslim communities in Islamberg, New York, Jacksonville, Florida, and Garden City, Kansas.

The American Muslim community has faced deadly attacks in recent years, but rarely have we witnessed such brutal carnage as today’s tragedy in New Zealand. It has been reported that video footage of this attack has been posted on social media sites. We have spoken to Google, Facebook, and Twitter urging them to remove the footage and encourage anyone who sees it to report it to the platforms immediately.”

Muslim Advocates is a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination.

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