Muslim man beaten outside Dallas-area mosque says incident not a hate crime

RICHARDSON, Texas (Christian Examiner) – The day after two Islamic extremists were shot and killed outside a free speech event in Garland, a Muslim man was beaten by two attackers at a Richardson, Texas, mosque, the Dallas Morning News has reported.

The man, as of yet unidentified, was leaving evening prayers at the Islamic Association of North Texas May 4 when the men pushed him to the ground and began hitting and kicking him. The two men responsible for the attack fled the scene after others from inside the mosque came to the aid of the injured man.

According to Sgt. Kevin Perlich, spokesman for the Richardson Police Department, the motive for the beating is not known. But May 5, the 59-year-old man who was the victim of the attack said he did not believe he was targeted for his religion or ethnicity.

Alia Salem, executive director of the  in Dallas-Fort Worth, also told the Dallas Morning News the attack was not motivated by the shootings in Garland or the Muhammad cartoon contest.

CAIR's national leadership, however, is calling on the FBI to investigate.

"We ask local, state and national law enforcement authorities to treat attack on or threats to American Muslims with the seriousness they deserve and urge our nation's religious and political leaders to speak out against the growing Islamophobia that can lead to such incidents," Ibrahim Hooper, the organization's spokesman, said in a statement from the organization.