--
WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR ME, A --
FOR MY ADMINISTRATION.
>> THOSE WORDS MAY HAVE HAD A
SPECIAL RESIDENCE FOR ONE OF
THE PEOPLE IN THAT AUDIENCE,
CONGRESSWOMAN ILHAN OMAR OF
MINNESOTA.
HER DISTRICT INCLUDES THE CITY
OF MINNEAPOLIS, WHERE THERE HAS
BEEN A STRING OF RECENT ATTACKS
ON THE --
COMMUNITY.
JUST OVER A WEEK AGO, A MAN WAS
CAUGHT SETTING A FIRE IN THE
BATHROOM OF A MOSQUE.
HE GOT AWAY.
AND THE VERY NEXT DAY, THERE
WAS ANOTHER FIRE, IN ANOTHER
MOSQUE IN THE CITY.
THIS TIME, IT WAS A BIGGER
BLAZE THAT CAUSED EXTENSIVE
DAMAGE ENFORCEMENT EVACUATION
OF ABOUT 40 CHILDREN WHO WERE
INSIDE --
NOW, FEDERAL AGENTS HAVE --
ARRESTED 26-YEAR-OLD JACK
JACKIE LITTLE WHO THEY SAY WAS
CAUGHT ON SURVEILLANCE VIDEO
ENTERING THE FIRST MOSQUE, AND
ALSO SENDING A --
TO THE --
LITTLE IS CHARGED WITH ARSON.
HE'S ALSO A SUSPECT IN SEVERAL
OTHER CRIMES AGAINST MUSLIMS.
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO IN JANUARY
APPEARS TO SHOW HIM SHOPLIFTING
SPRAY-PAINT BEFORE GOING TO THE
OFFICE OF CONGRESSWOMAN ILHAN
OMAR HERSELF AND SPRAYED
PRINTING THE NUMBER 500 ON HER
OFFICE OR.
HE'S ALSO SUSPECTED OF
SPRAY-PAINTING THE SAME THING
ON A PATROL CAR AND --
POLICE OFFICER, AND A LOCAL
MARKETPLACE --
THE CITY SOMALI COMMUNITY.
--
SAY THEY DON'T KNOW THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NUMBER 500.
BUT WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT IS THAT
MUSLIM COMMUNITY ACROSS THIS
COUNTRY, REMAIN VULNERABLE TO
VICIOUS AND VIOLENT
ISLAMOPHOBIC ATTACKS.
JOINING ME NOW IS CONGRESSWOMAN
ILHAN OMAR, DEMOCRAT OF
MINNESOTA.
CONGRESSWOMAN, THANKS FOR
JOINING ME ON THE SHOW TONIGHT.
HOW HAS THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN
MINNEAPOLIS BEEN AFFECTED BY
THESE ARSON ATTACKS AT MOSQUES,
AND OTHER CRIMES TARGETING YOU
AND MEMBERS OF THE SOMALI
COMMUNITY?
>> THEY ARE INCREDIBLY
IMPACTED.
MANY OF THEM ARE ON THE EDGE.
THEY ARE FEARFUL.
THEY ARE SHOCKED THAT THERE HAS
NOT BEEN THE DENUNCIATION OF
ANTI-MUSLIM VIOLENCE.
THEY ARE IN SHOCK THAT SOMEBODY
COULD SET TO --
ON FIRE AND THERE ISN'T A LOT
MORE BEING DONE.
BUT THE REALITY, MEHDI, IS THAT
WHEN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IS
UNDER ATTACK, WE OFTEN SEE
PEOPLE MINIMIZE THAT ATTACK.
AND MANY OF US HAVE BEEN LIVING
IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE KNOW
OUR LIVES ARE AT RISK, THAT WE
ARE VULNERABLE TO ATTACKS FROM
HATEFUL PEOPLE WHO HATE US
BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH, OR
COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN.
AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS NOT
GOING TO BE AS CONCERNED AS
THEY ARE WHEN OTHER FAITH
GROUPS ARE ATTACKED.
>> AND CONGRESSWOMAN, DO WE
KNOW YET HAVE AUTHORITIES ARE
TREATING THESE INCIDENTS IN
MINNEAPOLIS AS HATE CRIMES?
>> WE DO NOT KNOW YET.
WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TOLD IS THAT
THERE ARE MORE CHARGES TO COME.
THIS MAN IS CHARGED NOW WITH
ARSON FOR THE TWO FIRES.
THEY ARE GOING TO CHARGE HIM
FOR VANDALIZING MY OFFICE, FOR
VANDALIZING THE COP CAR OF THE
SOMALI POLICE OFFICER.
AND THERE MIGHT BE OTHER
INCIDENTS THAT WE DON'T KNOW OF
YET THAT MIGHT BE LINKED TO HIM
AS WELL.
>> AND CONGRESSWOMAN, WE KNOW
THAT ANTI-MUSLIM ATTACK SPIKED
WHEN DONALD TRUMP WAS
PRESIDENT.
WHO IS A MAN ELECTED ON A
PROMISE TO BAN MUSLIMS.
BUT EVEN IN 2021, AFTER HE LEFT
OFFICE, YOU FBI FIGURES ARE
SHOWING 11.6 INCREASE IN HATE
CRIMES IN THE UNITED STATES, A
PROPORTION OF THAT, OBVIOUSLY,
BEING ANTI MUSLIM HATE CRIMES.
PRESIDENT BIDEN SAY DISOBEY
HE'S CAN TERMS AND TO CONFRONT
ISLAMOPHOBIA.
BUT IS HIS ADMINISTRATION, THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT, AT A FEDERAL
AND STATE LEVEL, DOING ENOUGH
IN YOUR VIEW TO COMBAT ANTI
MUSLIM HATE CRIMES?
>> SO, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
WE HAVE BEEN CALLING FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION TO ADDRESS FOR A
WHILE.
I ACTUALLY WAS TALKING ABOUT
THIS, MAYBE A COUPLE OF MONTHS
AGO ON THE NEED FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION TO BE MORE
FORCEFUL AND LOUD IN THEIR
ADVOCACY FOR WANTING TO PROTECT
THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AGAINST
THESE KINDS OF VIOLENCE IS,
THAT VIOLENT ATTACKS THAT WE
ALL EXPERIENCED.
I AM GLAD TO HEAR THE
PRESIDENTS ANNOUNCEMENT.
IT CERTAINLY WAS WELCOMED.
AND THERE WAS A SENSE OF RELIEF
FOR A LOT OF US, THE FACT THAT
THERE IS A TASK FORCE LOOKING
TO ADDRESS ANTI MUSLIM HATE.
IT'S ALSO WELCOMING.
WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
MAKE SURE THE ADMINISTRATION
TAKES ANTI-MUSLIM HATE AND
VIOLENCE AS SERIOUSLY AS IT