CAIR-LA Welcomes Arrest of Suspect in Stabbing of Muslim Near Simi Valley Mosque Anaheim, CA: The Council on American-Islamic Relations of the Greater Los Angeles Area (CAIR-LA) Dec 12 welcomed the arrest of a man allegedly involved in a bias-motivated stabbing near a Simi Valley Mosque. Law enforcement authorities say 29-year-old John Matteson was arrested on suspicion of a hate crime, criminal threats, performing a felony violation of civil rights and disturbing peace for engaging in a verbal altercation and getting into a fight in which he stabbed a worshiper near the mosque on Saturday. The victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is in stable condition. “We commend the Simi Valley Police Department and the other law enforcement agencies involved in apprehending the suspect,"   said CAIR-LA Executive Director HussamAyloush. "With the recent spike in hate crimes across the nation, prompt and professional law enforcements' actions in response to these incidents sends the message that violence targeting the Muslim community will not be tolerated.”  The stabbing comes amid a national surge in anti-Muslim crimes, which jumped 67 percent in 2015, according to FBI statistics.  CAIR-LA has received a number of reports of hate incidents against Muslims in the Southern California area. In light of those reports, CAIR-LA is advising the American Muslim community to take all threats seriously and ensure that relevant law enforcement authorities are contacted in a timely manner. To report Islamophobia, hate incidents or hate crimes contact CAIR-LA's Civil Rights Department call (714) 776-1177 or   submit this online form :   https://ca.cair.com/losangeles/what-we-do/civil-rights/report-an-incident/