CAIR-Houston is asking other law enforcement agencies to increase patrols at mosque
HOUSTON - CAIR-Houston, the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization is asking those in the community to stay vigilant.
With the fourth death of a Muslim man in Albuquerque, New Mexico, investigators believe it may be connected to three other deaths of Muslim men in the past nine months.
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"The latest killings happening last week and this weekend," says William White, Director CAIR-Houston. "On Friday there was a man killed after attending the funeral of one of the men shot."
Police in Albuquerque say they can’t yet say the shooting is a hate crime until the suspect has been identified, and a motive has been determined, but White believes they are.
"They can't say quite yet that it’s connected but for us, the fact that four Muslim men, all of South Asian Descent, and all in the same city have been killed it makes it pretty clear that this is a targeted attack," says White.
William says the men were shot in the head, the concern reverberating all over, local leaders in Houston now speaking out and ramping up security.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner is saying he has increased patrols in and around our mosques.
"I think the anti-Muslim bigotry we’ve seen over the 20 years is directly playing into this hand of people are now dying," says White.
MORE: Muslim man killed in Albuquerque may be linked to other Muslim shooting deaths: police
Police in Albuquerque say the shootings were ambush killings. FOX 26, spoke with a local mosque they say the increased security is comforting.
"We in Houston are grateful that HPD they’ve been providing us with great assistance," says Zahoor Gire, Executive Director of Al-Noor Society in Houston. "We feel very confident and comfortable coming for prayers here in Houston."
But CAIR Houston hopes other law enforcement agencies will follow suit.
"We are also hoping that Fort Bend County and Harris County Sheriff’s Office will do the same," says White. "No one is going to stop us from being in this county and worshiping in this country."