US mosques receive letters threatening Muslims

WASHINGTON: Amid reports of spurt in hate crimes against Muslims after the electoral victory of Donald Trump , several mosques in the US have allegedly received threatening letters and emails against the community in the country.

An anonymous handwritten letter, which so far has been received by three mosques in California and one in Georgia, warned Muslims to "pack your bags and get out of dodge as Trump is going to cleanse America and make it shine again".

"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," the letter states, according to Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. "And, he's going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the jews (sic)."

The document has prompted council chapters in California to appeal for stepped-up police protection of mosques.

"This hate campaign targeting California houses of worship must be investigated as an act of religious intimidation, and our state's leaders should speak out against the growing anti-Muslim bigotry that leads to such incidents," said Hussam Ayloush, leader of the council's Los Angeles branch.

(A copy of the letter sent to San Jose Islamic center. Courtesy: Twitter/@CAIRNational)

Since Trump — who railed against Muslims and immigrants during the campaign — was elected on November 8, more than 100 anti-Muslim incidents have occurred across the country, said CAIR.

It quoted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which monitors hate crimes, as saying over 700 incidents targeting different minority groups had been documented since election day.

After being elected as the 45th president of the US, Trump has spoken against all kinds of hate-crimes.

However, there has been no response from him in the aftermath of the series of hate letters being received by mosques in different parts of the country.