The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, today welcomed civil rights and criminal threat charges filed against a 40-year-old man who allegedly hurled slurs and made violent threats toward Muslim community members during evening prayers at a Moorpark mosque.
SEE: Moorpark man arrested in threat against mosque members during prayers
Deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office responded to the incident and arrested the suspect on suspicion of criminal threats and interfering with or intimidating individuals in the free exercise of their constitutional rights.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
"We welcome the swift law enforcement response and the filing of civil rights charges in this alarming incident. No worshiper should ever have to fear for their safety while engaging in peaceful prayer at their place of worship. Bias-motivated harassment and threats strike at the very core of our constitutional rights, and holding perpetrators accountable is essential to keeping our communities safe."
CAIR-LA is calling on Muslim community leaders to utilize its current resources to help keep religious facilities safe.
SEE: Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety Guide 2026
Washington, D.C.-based CAIR recently said it has documented 17 incidents targeting Islamic places of worship in May, June, and July to date. The 17 incidents represent 51 percent of the previous year’s total and a 183 percent increase over the same three-month period last year, during which CAIR documented six such incidents.
CAIR’s latest civil rights report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025 – the highest number ever recorded by the organization since it began publishing civil rights reports in 1996.
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