Hateful letters to mosques warn Trump seeks to 'cleanse' US of Muslims

Rasa - Three mosques in California have received letters warning that US President-elect Donald Trump would “cleanse” the country of Muslims, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

News ID: 425347

Date: 27 November 2016 - 21:43

RNA - CAIR said Saturday that the letters were similar and postmarked as being sent from Santa Clarita in Los Angeles.

They were sent last week to the Islamic Center of Long Beach, the Islamic Center of Claremont and the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose.

“Your day of reckoning has arrived,” a letter reads. “There’s a new sheriff in town — President Donald Trump. He’s going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And, he’s going to start with you Muslims.”

Trump was “going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the jews [sic],” adds the letter that was signed by “Americans for a Better Way.”

"You Muslims would be wise to pack your bags and get out of Dodge," the letter says.

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of CAIR (file photo)

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of CAIR, said he believed the letters were sent to other mosques as well.

Ayloush, who called for more police protection of mosques in the US, said that rhetoric by Trump during his campaign fueled hatred against Muslims.

Trump’s “irresponsible, hateful rhetoric” has fueled “a level of vulgarity, vile hatred and anger among many self-proclaimed Trump supporters,” he stated.

“I’m not saying (Trump) created racist people,” he said. “He normalized it. While he might say he’s not responsible, and I respect that, I remind President-elect Trump that he has a responsibility to act as a president for all Americans.”

Civil rights groups have warned of attacks on minorities, including Muslims, since Republican Trump clobbered his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election.

Trump had repeatedly vowed to ban Muslims from entering the US and to deport illegal immigrants, unleashing a wave of civil unrest that began during the campaign and continued after his election.

According to the FBI, hate crimes overall grew by 6.8 percent in 2015 to a total of 5,850 incidents reported throughout the year, compared with the 5,479 incidents reported in 2014.

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