RASC News Agency: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has issued an urgent call for an independent investigation after three Afghanistani schoolgirls were brutally assaulted in a coordinated attack at Paul Revere Middle School in Houston, Texas, earlier this March. In a statement released Tuesday, CAIR confirmed that the incident took place on March 3, when a group of approximately twenty students violently targeted the girls during their lunch break. The organization stated that the students were attacked without provocation and were subjected to physical violence while on school grounds.
According to eyewitness accounts and reports provided by the families, the perpetrators used sharpened pencils as improvised weapons. One of the girls sustained injuries so severe that she was hospitalized for four days at Texas Children’s Hospital. The victims’ families believe the girls were misidentified and targeted due to their visible Muslim identity, particularly their wearing of the Islamic hijab. CAIR has demanded that the Houston Independent School District initiate a full and independent investigation into the incident. The organization further urged Paul Revere Middle School to implement immediate protective measures for the students involved, including relocation to a safer educational environment if required.
The statement also criticized the school’s administration for what it described as a lack of responsiveness to repeated appeals from the victims’ families and their legal representatives. Despite multiple requests for meetings and discussions concerning the girls’ safety and potential transfer, school officials have reportedly remained unresponsive. CAIR warned that the girls continue to live in a state of distress, fear, and psychological vulnerability, and emphasized the need for urgent intervention. In addition to demanding accountability, CAIR has called for the immediate provision of psychological support and trauma counseling for the victims and their families. The organization stressed that U.S. schools must adopt and enforce comprehensive policies designed to prevent violence, discrimination, and harassment particularly against Muslim and minority students.
William White, Director of CAIR-Houston, condemned the attack as “utterly unacceptable,” stating: “It is beyond reprehensible that students can be subjected to such violent assault, only to be met with silence and inaction from the very institutions entrusted with their safety.” The organization also noted a troubling rise in Islamophobia across the United States. Previous CAIR reports have documented a 56 percent surge in anti-Muslim incidents and discriminatory conduct an escalation that has intensified significantly since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. In light of this latest assault, CAIR has pledged to exert increased pressure on educational authorities and policymakers to defend the civil and human rights of Muslim and minority communities across the United States and to prevent the recurrence of such deeply alarming acts.
