RHODE ISLAND ISLAMIC SCHOOL VANDALIZED
Rhode Island, US, 27 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/17 February 2015 (MINA) – In a new episode of anti-Muslim hate crimes, an Islamic school in Rhode Island was vandalized as racial slurs were spray-painted over its entrance, one day after the school held a vigil for the three Muslim students murdered in North Carolina.
“I’m not angry. I’m just saddened,” Hilmy Bakri, president of the Islamic School of Rhode Island board of trustees, told Providence Journal late on Sunday, February 15, On Islam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
“Anything like this that happens at any school … is just nonsense, but this time, because it’s my school, it feels more personal. Even though it’s just words on a wall, it’s very hurtful.”
The attack occurred last Saturday night when racial slurs were spray-painted over the entrance of the school that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
The racial slurs, made by orange paint, covered the school’s entrance with the words “Now this is a hate crime” and “pigs”. Other hate words targeted Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
According to Bakri, the attack showed a clear reference to the ongoing investigation on the murder of three American Muslim students in Chapel Hill as a hate crime. The attack is the first against the school, which opened in 2003 as the first Islamic school in the state.
“I find it very upsetting,” Rabbi Sarah Mack, of Temple Beth-El in Providence, said of the vandalism.
“The Muslim community in Rhode Island is very open and peaceful.”
Investigations
Worried about the increasing attacks, a leading US advocate group called on local, state and national law enforcement authorities to investigate the school vandalism as a hate crime.
“This apparently bias-motivated incident should be investigated as a hate crime, with the strongest possible charges brought against the perpetrators once they are apprehended,” Ibrahim Hooper National Communications Director of the he Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement obtained by OnIslam.net.
“The recent spike in anti-Muslim hate rhetoric and bias-motivated attacks on American Muslims and their institutions must be addressed by our nation’s leaders.”
Hooper noted that American Muslims believe the recent killing of three young Muslims in North Carolina was a hate crime. He said a possible bias motive is also being investigated for an act of arson targeting a Houston Islamic institute.
Moez Ghumman, who graduated from the school in 2010, said he was upset to see the hateful words on the school building. “A vigil itself is a means of raising awareness in a peaceful manner, but apparently it has brought more hate,” Ghumman said.
“But we will continue to raise awareness, as hate only stops when you refuse to remain silent when you witness it.”
The vandalization of the Islamic school comes less than a week after Chapel Hill shooting that left three young Muslim killed. Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23 his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21 and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were found dead at a condominium complex off campus.
The suspect of the Chapel Hill shooting, Craig Hicks, was said to have been angered over a parking dispute. The argument was rejected by commentators and family members of the victims said they believe the staunch self-proclaimed anti-theist was motivated by race and religion.
Since the 9/11 attacks, US Muslims, estimated between 6-8 million, have complained of discrimination and stereotypes in the society because of their Islamic attires or identities.
A US survey has revealed that the majority of Americans know very little about Muslims and their faith. A Gallup poll also found that the majority of US Muslims are patriot and loyal to their country and are optimistic about their future. (T/P011/P3)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
