(Seattle, WA, 10/28/2017) — The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Washington) said today it is working with Kent School District administrators and impacted families to help ensure a proper response to threatening anti-Muslim vandalism and slurs found on the Kent-Meridian High School campus this week.
According to a letter sent out by the school on Friday, October 27, a staff member reported graffiti in the girl’s bathroom on Tuesday, October 24th that “threatened students of Muslim heritage.” Photos of the graffiti show threats that include “All Muslims dead on 10/30 #MAGA,” “towel heads at KM are gonna DIE, “f**k Muslims,” and a Nazi swastika sign, as well as other slurs.
The letter goes on to say that the school is working with Kent Police and that the school “will implement extensive security measures on October 30th to help us maintain a safe campus.”
CAIR-WA has been in touch with Kent-Meridian, Kent School District, and with impacted community members, and plans to meet with school officials next week to ensure a full and appropriate response to the incident. The civil rights organization will take that opportunity to discuss how the school should approach such issues moving forward to ensure Muslim students and parents feel safe at school and encouraged to report discrimination, bullying and threats.
“This is not the first case reported to us of anti-Muslim vandalism at a school, college or university. The fear of being bullied at school has increased for Muslim students due to the negative effects of the presidential campaign and election,” said Civil Rights Director Jasmin Samy. “Our community must report any case of bullying, harassment or intimidation in schools so our learning environments can be a safe place for all students.”
She noted that on Monday, the California chapter of CAIR will release a new report documenting faith-based bullying of Muslim students in that state’s schools.
SEE: CAIR-CA to Release Report on Faith-Based Bullying of Muslim Students in California Schools:
CAIR’s national office has reported an unprecedented increase in hate incidents targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump.
CAIR recently released a quarterly civil rights report documenting 354 incidents of anti-Islam religious bias during the third quarter of 2017. CAIR documented a 9 percent rise in bias incidents in the first nine months of 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016.
SEE: CAIR 3rd Quarter Civil Rights Report Shows Rise in Hate Crimes Over Same Period Last Year
CAIR: 2017 on Track to Becoming One of the Worst Years Ever for Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes
The Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization urges community members to report any bias incidents, including religiously motivated bullying, to police and to CAIR-WA’s Civil Rights Department at 206.367.4081 or by filing a report at: http://cairwa.org/get-help
CAIR-Washington is the state’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties of all people, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
La misión de CAIR-Washington es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Washington Media & Outreach Director, Sarah Stuteville,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 206-403-3931