Ohio Muslim Proclaims, 'Why Must I be Profiled Just Because I'm Muslim?'

A coalition of Muslims in Cleveland gathered together at a press conference on Wednesday to protest against “profiling” of Muslims in the wake of multiple terror attacks in Paris and the United States. Their goal, they claimed, was to bring awareness to their faith. But they also attacked Donald Trump.

The press conference was sponsored by the Members of the Council of Mosques, but several other Muslim organizations from Northeast Ohio joined them in the effort. The event was held in Cleveland’s First Cleveland Mosque and aimed at putting a halt to the “backlash” these Muslims claimed they are experiencing.

“Extremists are the root of these problems and the Muslim community is paying for it,” Abbas Ahmad, Imam of First Cleveland Mosque, said during the press event.

“There are 1.6 billion Muslims around the world and 1.6 billion Muslims should not be blamed for acts by a few so-called Muslim,” Ahmad added.

Another Muslim came to the mics to say that her religion does not approve of terror.

“My faith does not support these unjustified actions committed by extremists. It’s frustrating to continuously apologize for crimes committed by individuals whom are half way around the world. Why must I be profiled just because I’m Muslim,” VP Muslim Student Association at Cleveland State University, Sarah Mohammad, said.

Unsurprisingly, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump also came in for harsh words.

“Many of the statements by our presidential candidates have been fueling nothing but hate and racism against one another,” Ahmad insisted. “We also urge political leaders to refrain from engaging in dangerous and divisive anti-Muslim rhetoric that undermines our country’s values and harms the fabric of our diverse society.”

Ahmed went on to aver that the way to beat terrorism was to make Americans understand Islam and to help them learn more about Muslims.

The group claimed that bias against Muslims is “racist” and “Islamophobic,” and they say they are facing increased hate crimes and a “backlash” since the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

But according to the FBI, hate crimes against Muslims are relatively few in number. According to the FBI’s hate crime statistics, only 13.7 percent of hate crimes were perpetrated against Muslims. On the other hand, fully 60.3 percent were committed against Jews. So, in truth, “hate crimes” against Muslims seem few and far between in the U.S.A., at least according to the FBI.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston, or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.