(CHICAGO, IL, 11/11/26) - The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on law enforcement authorities to conduct a hate crime investigation after Dr. Sabrina Khan Jones, wife of Urbana Alderman Verdell Jones III, was reportedly subjected to anti-Muslim threats by an individual claiming to be a military veteran.
Alderman Jones said his wife, who wears an Islamic headscarf (hijab), was “approached by a man from behind who claimed that he was a veteran and started threatening her, pretty much telling her that she’s not welcome here: ‘Muslims will never take over America.’” He said the police response left he and his wife in “limbo.”
"An attack on a community member simply for her faith is an attack on the safety, dignity, and fabric of our entire community," said Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago. "We stand in absolute solidarity with Dr. Sabrina Khan Jones and Alderman Verdell Jones III. No one should ever have to fear for their safety or face targeted hate while running everyday errands. We urge the Champaign Police Department to thoroughly investigate this incident as a potential hate crime under Illinois law.”
He noted that CAIR-Chicago recently decried the decision by a Will County judge to grant pretrial release to a Wilmington man facing felony hate crime and intimidation charges.
CAIR’s latest civil rights report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025 – the highest number ever recorded by the organization since it began publishing civil rights reports in 1996.
CAIR-Chicago encourages anyone experiencing or witnessing bias or discrimination to report incidents immediately to its civil rights department at www.cairchicago.org/get-help.
CAIR-Chicago's mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Director, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com