Kentucky Man Charged with Federal Hate Crime for Threatening Palestinian American
The incident, which occurred at the end of March, also led to a weapons charge against Litteral. The victim, identified only by his initials, O.S., was targeted due to his race, color, religion, and national origin while at a local restaurant.
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed the indictment, highlighting a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias in the US.
CAIR reported 8,061 complaints of anti-Muslim incidents in 2023, the highest since it began keeping records nearly 30 years ago.
“Melvin P. Litteral III used force or the threat of force to intimidate and interfere with the victim – a Palestinian American man and practicing Muslim identified in the indictment by the initials O.S. – because of O.S.’s race, color, religion and/or national origin, and because O.S. was enjoying the goods, services and facilities of a local restaurant,” the Justice Department stated, Reuters reported.
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Human rights advocates have noted an increase in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian sentiment in the US since the start of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis.
Recent incidents include the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child in Illinois, the stabbing of a Palestinian-American man in Texas, the shooting of three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont, and the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian-American girl in May.
Source: Agencies
