The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) announced that 30 members of the Hamouda family from Maple Grove, Minnesota, were killed in a Gaza attack. CAIR stated that the family members were killed by missiles fired by Israel, although this information has not been independently confirmed. Among the victims were four doctors, and only the mother and one nephew of Manal Hamouda survived. The family owns a large family-operated eye clinic in Gaza. The devastating loss has left the family in shock and grief.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has canceled its annual banquet after receiving bomb threats from extremists who opposed CAIR's support for Palestinian human rights. The Crystal Gateway Marriott hotel, where the event was scheduled to take place, decided to cancel due to the specific and credible nature of the threats. CAIR and Marriott have expressed their commitment to inclusivity and safety, and CAIR plans to hold the banquet at an undisclosed alternate location with heightened security. The incident highlights the surge in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian sentiment in the United States amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Secret Service blocked Muslim Mayor Mohamed Khairullah from attending a White House celebration for the end of Ramadan, citing security reasons. The Council on American-Islamic Relations informed Khairullah that a person with his name and birthdate was on a terrorist watchlist. Khairullah, who has been critical of Trump's travel ban and has done humanitarian work in Syria, called the move "profiling" and "insulting." The group has called on the Biden administration to cease the FBI's dissemination of information from the Terrorist Screening Data Set.
