As anti-Muslim rhetoric escalates nationwide, threatening messages invoking foreign intelligence sent to Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid and his daughter
Dallas, Texas – 12.4.25
On 12.2.25, MLFA joined with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, in calling on the Fairfax County Police Department to launch a criminal investigation into threatening messages targeting American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Executive Director Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid.
On Thursday, November 27, 2025 – Thanksgiving Day – Dr. Abu Irshaid received a menacing text message at approximately 1:08 p.m. from a Virginia phone number. But, the sender didn’t stop with Dr. Abu Irshaid. The sender also sent the threatening message to Dr. Abu Irshaid’s daughter – a private citizen whose contact information is not publicly available.
The first message was chilling in its simplicity: “Osama, we are closely monitoring your activities.”
Two minutes later came the explicit threat: “If you threaten Israel, you and your relatives will face grave consequences. COL David Bar David, ISNU”
These were not isolated messages. They are part of a campaign of harassment that has included a barrage of prank calls and hostile communications from multiple numbers – all targeting a respected advocate for Palestinian human rights.
CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said: “The fact that these messages were sent to Dr. Abu Irshaid’s child, coupled with explicit references to ‘grave consequences,’ raises significant safety concerns. We have seen time and time again that a climate of extreme Islamophobia and hatred like we see today can end in violence. We call on Fairfax County law enforcement authorities to launch a full and thorough investigation into these disturbing threats to Dr. Abu Irshaid and his family.”
This is what intimidation looks like in 2025. When public officials like Governor Greg Abbott and Representatives Randy Fine and Brandon Gill target Islam or call for the expulsion of Muslims from America – rhetoric that seeks to erase our very existence from this country – it creates a permission structure for exactly this kind of terrorizing behavior. These threats against Dr. Abu Irshaid, a person who has long been a respected voice for justice and human rights, didn’t emerge in a vacuum. They’re the predictable result of a political climate where disinformation, the invocation of alleged foreign intelligence operations, and digital intimidation against families are normalized.
“This is the unlawful use of intimidation against ordinary citizens in the pursuit of political aims,” said Marium Uddin, Legal Director of MLFA. “MLFA stands with CAIR to urge the Fairfax County Police Department to immediately investigate this criminal conduct and send a clear message that these reprehensible acts will not be tolerated. Dr. Abu Irshaid and his family deserve the full protection of the law – not just because they’re targets of harassment and terroristic threats, but because every person in this country has the right to advocate for human rights without fear that his or her children will be threatened.”
