Columbia interim Police Chief Geoff Jones met with members of the Muslim community on Tuesday to address concerns in the wake of a recent incident downtown, which a leading civil rights organization is asking be investigated as a hate crime.
About 50 congregants and supporters attended an open session with Jones at the Islamic Center of Central Missouri. The meeting was spurred by an incident the evening of June 26 on Providence Road where a man allegedly pulled a gun on Columbia resident Heba Jassim and her two children because she was wearing a hijab.
“CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president and has repeatedly expressed concern about Islamophobic, white supremacist and racist Trump administration policies and appointments,” the organization stated in a news release following the March mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Local faith leader Shakir Hamoodi said in light of the spike, and the recent incident, many members are concerned about the ongoing safety of individuals, families and the mosque itself.
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