A Muslim man has experienced several incidents of harassment over the past year at the place where he is employed, i.e. being asked if he has a bomb in his pocket. The man reported these events to his supervisors, but nothing has been done about the situation. In addition, after making this complaint the man has now experienced a barrage of illegitimate criticisms from his supervisors that have caused him extreme stress. The man brought his case to CAIR-WA by using one of our online forms, and we are in the process of working with him to bring an end to this unfair treatment.

 

06/18/12 – Employment/Harrassment - A Muslim woman has experienced ongoing harassment at her work, including Islamophobic jokes. After reporting her case to both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Washington State Human Rights Commission with no results, she has now brought her case to CAIR-WA. After thoughtful consideration we have recommended that the woman seek legal counsel and referred her to both an attorney and two referral services.

 

06/18/12 – Hate Mail/Hate Phone Calls - A Muslim man forwarded to CAIR-WA an anti-Muslim e-mail that his landlord had sent to him. CAIR-WA has documented the case and given the man advice on his rights. The man has asked CAIR-WA to document the incident but does not want CAIR-WA to take further action on the case.

 

06/14/12 – Government Agency/Other - A Muslim family living in a house rented by the Everett Housing Authority (EHA) has been experiencing various forms of abuse from their next door neighbors since 2006, after the neighbors made a comment to the daughter of the Muslim family about Islam being a bad religion. The abuse has become so bad that it is affecting both the health and well-being of the entire family. The father has made several complaints to the EHA with no results. Additionally, he requested to be moved elsewhere in 2007, 2009, and 2012, again with no action taken on part of the EHA. The family has now contacted CAIR-WA with the problem. We have sent a letter to the EHA and are working to get the EHA to afford the family's case the investigative attention it deserves, as well as to safely move the family from this abusive situation.

 

06/11/12 – Criminal Offense/Against Person - It was reported to CAIR-WA that a Muslim woman was in the Snoqualmie Falls parking lot when an unknown Caucasian man cornered and pressed up against her, then said offensive comments into her ear. The man tried to grab the woman with his hands, but she was able to run away and report the assault to her husband who had been out of sight nearby. The husband went to the parking lot and saw the offender leaving in the passenger seat of a vehicle. The husband took pictures of the vehicle, a Suzuki SUV including its license plate #404-XRU, and as he did so the driver flipped him off. CAIR-WA has written a letter to report the incident and sent it along with the pictures of the offender's car to the Snoqualmie Police Department. We are currently awaiting a reply.

 

06/11/12 – Criminal Offense/Against Person - CAIR-WA received a report that a group of Muslim women were walking down a street in Seattle that they often use when a homeowner opened her door and let a dog out of her house. The dog came at the Somali-American women, two of whom ran away out of fear. The dog was hit by a car in the street, after which its owner yelled vulgar insults at the women and said "Go back to your country." A similar incident has happened once before with the same dog being released on two teenage Somali girls. In response, CAIR-WA organized and held a "Know Your Rights" presentation for 25 Somali-American women in Seattle that included a Somali translator. We are hoping in the future to help further educate the Muslim community on their rights, as well as the benefits of reporting any and all cases of discrimination - both big and those that appear to be "small".