A Minnesota advocacy group has asked the FBI to investigate a death threat made against a Rochester woman running for Congress.
Today the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations posted a screenshot of an online comment threatening First Congressional District candidate Regina Mustafa.
The comment stated (grammatical errors maintained): “tell regina she is lower then a jewishh wh**** used tampon she will be shot. . .”
According to CAIR-MN, the comment was made two days ago below a YouTube video featuring Mustafa. An investigation has since been opened by the Rochester Police Department.
“We urge the FBI to investigate this threat to kill a candidate for Congress and to bring the perpetrator to justice,” said Amir Malik, CAIR-MN's civil rights director. “This type of threat targets the fundamental civil right of political participation and serves to intimidate anyone from a minority community seeking to serve the nation as an elected official.”
Mustafa, who is Muslim, announced earlier this month that she is entering southern Minnesota's 2018 congressional race.
She told us then: "I am blessed to live southern Minnesota, from the beauty of small-town communities as well as its rich diverse cultures and traditions. But yet we live in a divided political climate and its time we had a voice locally and in Washington to bridge divides and bring people to the table."
In response to reports of the threat made against Mustafa, fellow DFL congressional candidate Dan Feehan wrote to Facebook:
"Regina is courageous for taking a stand and putting herself out there when our country needs it most. In Iraq, I (a patriotic Catholic) fought alongside patriotic Muslims that loved and defended their country. Today, I am honored to run alongside Regina and I am grateful for her presence in the race and in southern Minnesota."
