A crowd of demonstrators from the Muslims of America, Inc. gathered in Miller Park Monday to demand that justice be served to Robert Doggart, 63, who was recently indicted by a federal grand jury after he solicited another person to burn down a mosque in Islamberg, a small town in New York.
Doggart allegedly attempted to gather a small group to gather automatic weapons to kill residents and burn down the mosque, a school, and a cafeteria.
He was arrested in April in connection to the plot since federal agents had been monitoring his activity and communications, but he was released on a $30,000 bond into the care of two family members on house arrest later that month.
Doggart’s arraignment was on Monday and Federal Magistrate Susan K. Lee said that he is facing one count of solicitation to commit a civil rights violation by damaging religious property. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The state attorney attempted to make a motion during the arraignment that Doggart be detained, but the court did not find a reason to grant that motion, given current circumstances.
Magistrate Lee said, “There were set conditions upon which he could be safely released,” and “[Doggart] is not presenting any danger under these conditions, which are strict.”
However, the demonstrators in Miller Park from Muslims of America have taken issue with Doggart’s release on house arrest and explicitly stated on Monday that they think he should be charged with a hate crime and terrorism.
While walking the park’s perimeter, the crowd chanted, “Doggart is a terrorist, just like ISIS. Doggart is a terrorist, just like the Taliban.”
They also carried signs with pictures of Doggart’s face that read, “The true face of terrorism,” or “We are American muslims, we demand justice.”
One member of the group said, “America is not going to stand for terrorism for anyone. The country should wake up because its people are being slaughtered by hate crimes.”
He also said that Doggart’s actions were those of an anti-American fanatic who was only trying to keep Christians and Muslims separate and the country divided.
The trial is set for Sept. 21, under Judge Curtis Collier, barring any changes in the case.