Hate Crime and Harassment Charges Following Hate Incident Targeting Washington State Mosque

 The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed law enforcement’s decision to pursue hate crime charges against a suspect accused of harassing community members, uttering anti-Islamic threats, and attempting to break into a Washington state mosque.

SEE: Man accused of trying to break into Islamic Center

The incident involved a 54-year-old suspect who allegedly targeted the Pullman Islamic Center. Witnesses reported that the individual yelled anti-Islamic statements, made direct threats, and attempted to gain unlawful entry to the facility. Local law enforcement subsequently apprehended the suspect, who now faces charges including commission of a hate crime, fourth-degree assault, disorderly conduct and second-degree vehicle prowling.

In a statement, Washington, D.C.-based CAIR said:

“We commend law enforcement treating this alarming attack on a Washington state mosque with the seriousness it deserves by filing hate crime charges. Houses of worship must remain safe havens where individuals of all faiths can gather without fear of intimidation, harassment, or violence.

“This latest attack on a mosque is another example of why politicians and Israel advocacy groups must stop fomenting anti-Muslim hysteria. Hate speech can very easily lead to hate crimes, as we have seen in San Diego, Minneapolis, and various other cities.

“American Muslims will not, God willing, let harassment scare them into giving up the practice of their faith or giving up their advocacy for justice, including a just American foreign policy.”

CAIR is also calling on Muslim community leaders to utilize its current resources to help keep religious facilities safe:

1. CAIR’s ‘Protecting Your Mosques’ Self-Defense Webinar in Wake of San Diego Mosque Terror Attack
2. Introductory Section of Protecting Your Mosques Self-Defense Seminar
3. CAIR Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety

On Sunday, CAIR’s Michigan chapter called on law enforcement and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office to pursue all appropriate charges, including applicable hate crime charges, against a man who allegedly threatened to kill four Muslim men outside the Troy Public Library while reportedly armed with a handgun.

CAIR’s national office recently welcomed the federal indictment of a Utah man on a hate crime charge for allegedly stabbing a Muslim man at the West Valley Mall in West Valley City, Utah. At its annual gala in Washington, D.C., CAIR recognized the three men who were killed saving countless lives when they confronted two white supremacist gunmen during the May 18 terror attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.]

BACKGROUNDER: CAIR recently responded to a number of anti-Muslim hate incidents nationwide.

On Friday, CAIR’s national office said Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith’s escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric, including comments made marking the anniversary of 9/11, incites anti-Muslim hatred and put American Muslims at risk of violence.

Also last week, CAIR called on law enforcement authorities in West Virginia to step up security in the area of mosques and Islamic institutions and investigate a reported online threat to “kill” Muslims in that state.

CAIR’s Ohio chapter welcomed federal charges filed against Wyatt Brzoska, a 20-year-old Valley City man accused of posting online threats and planning a violent attack against a mosque in Columbia Station, Ohio.

CAIR’s New York chapter condemned the reported harassment of Muslim minors outside a mosque in Albany, New York

Other recent anti-Muslim incidents:

CAIR welcomed the reported indictment of a Winston-Salem, N.C., teen allegedly connected to the May 2026 white supremacist terror attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.

CAIRexpressed support for an Indiana restaurant manager who reportedly stood up for a young Muslim employee after a customer allegedly made anti-Muslim comments about the employee’s hijab and reportedly said that Muslims “scare” her.

CAIR welcomed an arrest of a suspect in an allegedly bias-motivated spitting attack on a Muslim woman in Kentucky.

CAIR’s Maryland office condemned the reported harassment of multiple Muslim women wearing Islamic headscarves, or hijabs, at a market in Montgomery County.

CAIR’s Los Angeles office condemned the violent online threats responding to an online anti-Muslim smear campaign targeting the Islamic Center of Irvine (ICOI). 

In New York, CAIR called on local, state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate reported hate vandalism targeting a mosque site on Long Island as a possible hate crime.

CAIR’s Florida chapter welcomed charges for an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a mosque.

Its Michigan chapter welcomed federal charges against an Alaska man accused of making threats to injure and murder Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and issuing violent, Islamophobic threats against Muslims.

Its Pittsburgh and Philadelphia chapters welcomed the City of Erie’s response to reported threats targeting the local Muslim community and urged authorities to remain vigilant in protecting residents from anti-Muslim hate and intimidation.

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.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.      

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.           

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