by James Queally

January 6, 2017

 

When he first read the letter mailed to the Islamic Center of Long Beach last November, Tarek Mohamed wasn’t terribly surprised by the hateful screed inside.

The note was addressed to the “Children of Satan,” called for the extermination of Muslims in the U.S. and referenced Donald Trump’s election night victory. But Mohamed, the center’s president, had received similar messages before, and knew he would again.

Authorities examined the letter — and ones sent to other Islamic institutions in California — and quickly determined it didn’t rise to the level of a hate crime that could be prosecuted.

But in a increasingly common move, police officials classified the letter as a “hate incident” and, working with the U.S. Postal Service, began a search for the author.

 

Full article:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hate-incidents-20161214-story.html