Excerpt:
The images were horrifying, sparking international outcry — Israeli police stomping, punching and kicking a 15-year-old Tampa boy as he lay on a Jerusalem street.
Now, the ordeal of Tariq Khdeir appears to have sparked interest in protecting civil rights. The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Florida, the group that came to Khdeir's aid in July and arranged his release from jail and return to Tampa, reported this week that it had raised more than a half-million dollars through a pair of banquets in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale this month.
"I think it sends a very clear message that the Florida community strongly believes in investing to protect civil rights and is interested in tolerance, respect and understanding at a time when many people in the world are working to promote division and disunity," said Hassan Shibly, chief executive director of CAIR-Florida.