"Today, Project Islamic HOPE is calling upon the arrest and criminal prosecution of 'Empire' star and actor Jussie Smollett. We believe Mr. Smollett lied about being the victim of a hate crime and being assaulted, and for us, it's a slap in the face."
"Mr. Smollett put people's lives at risk and could have created a situation that was much more damaging for those who are African American and for those who do identify with the LGBT community. We have many members of the black community and the LGBT community who have been the victims of racism and hate crimes, so for Smollett to say that he was a victim of racism and hate crime -- and we believe that is a lie -- certainly is an injustice to those true victims of racism and hate crimes."
"Jussie Smollett must be brought to justice for lying," Ali said, adding: "We gave him the befit of the doubt" until Smollett's "campaign of lies" unraveled his story.
Ali continued: "Also, Smollett could have created a race war! There were many African American and many members of the LGBT community who were very upset and outraged by Smollett claiming he was attacked and victimized. So there were some in those communities whose thoughts are a little more extreme, they wanted to retaliated."
"If Jussie Smollett really wants to do what's right: he'll stop lying," said the activist, noting that the actor needs to offer an apology.