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ADL Welcomes Guilty Verdict in Mosque Burning Case

  • July 17, 2018

Houston, TX, July 17, 2018…The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomes the guilty verdict and conviction of a hate crime in the arson of a mosque in Victoria.  A federal jury found Marq Vincent Perez guilty of setting fire to the Victoria Islamic Center on January 28, 2017.  Perez faces up to 20 years in federal prison for destroying a religious place of worship, which is a hate crime, and a consecutive mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years for use of a fire to commit a felony, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“We appreciate the work of federal investigators and prosecutors, who successfully prosecuted this as a hate crime,” said Dayan Gross, ADL Southwest Regional Director. “We are grateful to them for their hard work and diligence, and for sending the message that hate will not be tolerated in Victoria. We’re also grateful to the community for rallying around the members of the mosque.  When a hate crime is committed, the entire community suffers.   In this case, residents of Victoria rallied around the mosque, its leaders and its congregation.  Victoria’s Jewish community even gave mosque leaders the keys to their synagogue, so their Muslim brothers and sisters could continue to worship during the mosque’s reconstruction.   We applaud Victoria’s Jewish community and all its citizens who showed the world hate could not separate or destroy them when they reached out to their neighbors with acts of solidarity and kindness.”

ADL led a coalition of civil rights organizations in a 10-year effort that resulted in the passage and signing of the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. ADL continues working on its goal to have hate crime laws in all 50 states, and stronger, more comprehensive hate crime laws in every state.

For more information or to set up an interview, call Dena Marks at 832-567-8843.

ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. More at www.adl.org.