Muslim man set on fire in Indianapolis

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MPACnews
briefings about Islam and Muslims in America
from the Muslim Public Affairs Council
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(Washington D.C., March 26, 2003) -- The Muslim Public
Affairs Council (MPAC) is shocked and disturbed by reports
that a Indianapolis Muslim man was set on fire by two men
who burst into his restaurant on Friday, March 21, 2003.
MPAC is praying for his speedy recovery and is calling on
law enforcement to investigate the case as a hate crime
and bring the perpetrators of this inhumane crime to
justice.

The incident left the 37-year-old Afghanistan-native with
burns on over 60 percent of his body, the Council on
American-Islamic Relations reported today. The
Indianapolis Star also reported that the resulting fire
caused more than $150,000 in damage to the victim's
restaurant.

The incident comes after a series of hate crimes reported
nationally since the outbreak of hostilities with Iraq
began last week.

MPAC is concerned about widely documented instances of
inflammatory rhetoric against Islam and Muslims that have
emanated some media outlets. This type of hate speech has
been historically linked to violent incidents, including
hate crimes.

"Hate crimes do not happen in a vacuum," said MPAC's
Senior Advisor Dr. Maher Hathout, "but develop in an
environment that's created by irresponsible media and
religious fanatics."

Since the war broke out, MPAC has held three forums on
hate crimes and has begun facilitating meetings between
law enforcement agencies and Muslim, South Asian and Arab
communities to work together to prevent hate acts.

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sustain the future of Islam in America. MPAC relies on your financial
support to sustain its activities and represent the sentiments and
interests of American Muslims not foreign governments.
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