A suspect setting fire to two churches and vandalizing a congresswoman’s office would seem like the kind of story that might lead national news. However, change the word “church” to “mosque,” and add the detail that the member of congress was Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, and the case has slipped by with little notice, though the Sunday arrest of 36-year-old Jackie Little did garner a few articles. It now seems that Little was behind an entire sequence of anti-Muslim attacks—that included vandalizing the vehicle of a Somali police officer and a shopping area frequented by Somali immigrants.
As CBS affiliate WCCO reports, on April 23 a man carried a container of gasoline into the Masjid Omar Islamic Center, spread the fuel around, and set a fire inside a bathroom. The next day, a similar fire broke out on the third floor of the Masjid Al Rahma mosque. In both cases, those inside the mosque were able to get out unharmed and firefighters were able to contain the damage. However, among those who had to be evacuated in one of the attacks were children attending preschool, so the potential threat was immeasurable.
Little made his first court appearance on Monday, where he did not make a plea and was held without bail. The federal complaint against Little indicates that in addition to vandalizing a local office for Rep. Omar, he harassed her through email. Court documents indicate that Omar received multiple messages from Little, one of which included an image showing “a Quran in a toilet being urinated on by a male.” Omar also received messages containing the number “500.” That number was also painted on the door of Omar’s regional office during Little’s vandalism there.
On Monday, Rep. Omar issued a statement following Little’s arrest.
“Mr. Little is not only responsible for multiple arson attacks against mosques in my district and the vandalism of a Somali officer’s police vehicle, but also targeted my own office with vandalism on at least one occasion.
“We are witnessing an epidemic of hate against the Muslim community and other religious minorities in Minnesota and globally right now. This campaign of terror is designed to keep us fearful and divided. As Muslim-Americans and as Minnesotans, we will not be terrorized. We will continue to stand united against bigotry because love is stronger than hate.”
The FBI continues to report increasing numbers of hate crimes. Just under 10% of those reported hate crimes are directed at Muslim Americans, though the reported numbers are suspected to be low, as members of the Muslim community are often afraid to file complaints. A 2020 study suggested that hate crimes against Muslims were both underreported and did not receive as much public attention as other forms of hate crimes.
Little’s mother indicated that he had previously “extensively harassed” a Muslim woman, which seems to be someone other than Omar. His mother also stated that she suspected her son had been involved in several other cases of arson.
Multiple studies have indicated that arsonists have the highest rate of reoffending among all violent criminals. “The base rates of reoffending from this meta-analysis indicated that between 57% and 66% of untreated firesetters engage in general reoffending … odds of firesetting during the follow-up period were five times greater for known firesetters in comparison with other offenders.”
Can we have fairer, more representative elections in the U.S.? Absolutely, says Deb Otis on this week’s episode of “The Downballot.” Otis, the director of research at FairVote, tells us about her organization’s efforts to advocate for two major reforms—ranked-choice voting and proportional representation—and the prospects for both. RCV, which is growing in popularity, not only helps ensure candidates win with majorities but can lower the temperature by encouraging cross-endorsements. PR, meanwhile, would give voters a stronger voice, especially when they’re a minority in a dark red or dark blue area.
Source: Daily Kos
