Hate Crime Prosecution Sought for Attacks on Virginia Mosque
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Friday called on state and federal law enforcement authorities to seek hate crime charges against the suspect arrested following the Islamophobic attack against Dar Al Nur Community Center in Fairfax County, Virginia, on November 28, 2025.
In a statement, CAIR Staff Attorney Ahmad Kaki said:
“Although we welcome the arrest of the individual who has once again allegedly attacked the Somali-American community at the same Virginia mosque, local and federal authorities must hold him fully accountable by filing hate crime charges. No one should be able to get away with repeatedly attacking the same house of worship. We must send a message that all faiths are welcome and safe in Fairfax County and throughout our nation.”
He said Hsiao’s alleged attack on Dar Al Nur comes on the heels of widespread racist rhetoric targeting Somali immigrants and Somali-Americans, particularly in Minnesota.
Earlier this month, Washington, D.C., based CAIR strongly condemned racist and dishonest attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar and the broader Somali-American community, including remarks by US President Donald Trump referring to all Somali-Americans and Somali immigrants as “garbage” and calling for them to be sent back to their country of origin.
Dar Al Nur Community Center is a predominantly Somali-American Mosque in Fairfax, Virginia. Its congregation has allegedly been victim to repeated targeting by Dr. Tony Hsiao over a three-year period. He previously faced criminal charges for a different incident. In the most recent incident, Dr. Hsiao allegedly swung a metal rod at a group of women leaving prayer while yelling “F*CKING MUSLIMS” and ultimately damaged some of the mosque’s property.
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Hsiao has since been charged with assault and battery, trespassing, and destruction of property. Despite his alleged acts of anti-Muslim and anti-Somali bias, Hsiao is not facing hate crime charges.
This is not the first time Hsiao has attacked Dar Al Nur Community Center in its congregants. Hsiao was arrested in March 2024 for a similar incident where he allegedly harassed and attacked people who had gathered for prayer there. Hsiao’s pattern of attacking Dar Al Nur Community Center and its congregants underscores the necessity of hate crime charges.
Source: Cair.com
