Texas residents may be interested to learn that the number of anti-Muslim assaults rose from 2015 to 2016, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center report. The number of attacks against Muslim men and women in the United States is reportedly tracked by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
In 2016, the FBI noted that there were 127 reports of anti-Muslim attacks. These attacks included simple and aggravated assaults. Comparatively, there were 91 reports of attacks against Muslims in 2015 and 93 reports of attacks against Muslims in 2001, the year the 9/11 attacks occurred.
It was also noted that other forms of hate crimes also increased in 2016. For example, anti-Muslim intimidation reportedly increased during 2016 with 144 reports. In 2015, there were 120 reports of intimidation. However, it was noted by Pew that there were 296 victims of intimidation in 2001, according to the FBI records. Furthermore, it was noted that the data was collected from 15,000 law enforcement agencies who volunteered to participate, meaning that the statistics likely did not demonstrate the true prevalence of hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S.
In some cases, hate crimes may be prosecuted in federal court. When this occurs, the potential punishments could be severe. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the alleged crime, an offender could face a prison sentence, major fines and a criminal record. However, a criminal law attorney may open independent investigations into the cases of those who are facing convictions for federal crimes. The attorney may potentially find instances were authorities did not follow proper procedures. This could lead to certain evidence being deemed inadmissible in court.
