The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on the Justice Department to investigate the shooting of a Muslim taxi driver in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a possible hate crime. According to the driver, who has not released his name, on November 26 he picked up a passenger outside a casino, who asked him if he was a “Pakistani guy.” The driver responded saying, “No, I’m from Morocco. But I’m an American guy.” The driver says the passenger then began to rant about ISIS, to which the driver responded that he was against ISIS. The man also satirized the Prophet Muhammad. When the driver arrived at the man’s destination, the passenger asked for him to wait, saying he’d forgotten his wallet inside. He returned with a rifle and allegedly shot the man in the back through the cab window. Alia Schindler of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Pittsburgh called on the Justice Department to investigate.

Alia Schindler: “There’s a growing number of attacks that are taking place against the American Muslim community, and the federal officials need to make a clear statement. They need to send a clear message that these types of attacks are not acceptable and will not be tolerated, whether they’re against the American Muslim community or any minority group.”