In a recent incident in Texas, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, has urged prosecutors to bring federal and state hate crime charges against a man arrested in the stabbing of a 23-year-old Palestinian American man. The victim, identified as Zacharia Doar, was hospitalized and underwent surgery following the attack, which occurred after a pro-Palestinian protest in Austin.

The alleged assailant, identified as 36-year-old Bert James Baker, was apprehended by the Austin Police Department. He has been charged with second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The police department expressed their belief that the attack was driven by bias, stating it to be a "bias-motivated incident." The case will undergo review by the Hate Crimes Review Committee, and the final decision on hate crime charges will be made by the Travis County District Attorney's Office.

CAIR, along with other community leaders, held a news conference where they called for the incident to be treated as a hate crime. The attempt made by the suspect to rip a flagpole bearing a traditional Palestinian scarf, known as keffiyeh, from the victim's car was cited as evidence of a hate crime. The investigation is still ongoing, and the Travis County district attorney's office has yet to comment on the matter.

The incident takes place amidst a surge in reported anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and antisemitic incidents in the United States during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Zacharia Doar's father, Nizar Doar, revealed that his son blamed President Joe Biden for the attack, accusing him of not demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Nizar Doar expressed his son's frustration, stating, "If you would have called for a ceasefire three months ago, this would not have happened."

According to CAIR, the incident occurred shortly after the victim and three other Muslim Americans had attended a pro-Palestinian protest. The suspect allegedly attempted to rip a flagpole with a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf off their car, using racial slurs during the confrontation. The victim was subsequently stabbed with a knife by the suspect, leading to emergency medical treatment.

Authorities from the University of Texas at Austin Police Department responded to the scene and arrested the suspect. The victim was then transported to a hospital for treatment. Both the victim and the suspect are unrelated to the university, as confirmed by UT Austin Police.

Fayyaz Shah, the chair of CAIR Austin's board, expressed solidarity with the victims and called for hate crime charges to be filed against the suspect. Additionally, CAIR urges federal law enforcement to launch a hate crime investigation into the incident.

As the investigation continues, the Austin Muslim community stands united against these acts of hate, denouncing the rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian sentiments within the nation.