Islamic Advocacy Group Calls for Hate Crime Charges in Stabbing of Muslim Americans
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is urging prosecutors to bring hate crime charges against a man accused of stabbing a 23-year-old Palestinian American in Texas following a pro-Palestinian protest. The victim's father described his son's pain and urged for the incident to be treated as a hate crime. The suspect, identified as Bert James Baker, has been arrested on a charge of second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and the case will be reviewed by the Hate Crimes Review Committee. The incident occurred after the victim and three other Muslim Americans attended a pro-Palestinian protest, and the entire Austin Muslim community is standing in solidarity with the victims, calling for hate crime charges to be filed.