University of Minnesota Muslim Association's Sign Painted Over with 'ISIS' Graffiti

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) Thursday called for a hate crime investigation of vandalism that appears to target Muslim students at the University of Minnesota. A panel on the campus' Washington Avenue Bridge advertising the university's Muslim Student Association (MSA) was discovered Thursday morning painted over with the word "ISIS."

"University administrators and state religious and political leaders must speak out forcefully against the rising anti-Muslim hate in our society that results in such disturbing incidents," CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said in a statement.

"We urge campus police and other relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate this incident as a hate crime."

Hussein says there has been a recent spike in the number of hate incidents targeting Muslims. On Monday, a Wisconsin student from Saudi Arabia died after police say he was assaulted on a street in downtown Menomonie.

The incident Thursday marks the second time in about a month that a panel on the Washington Avenue Bridge has seen racially charged vandalism. A panel with the pro-Donald Trump message "Build the Wall," painted by the University of Minnesota College Republicans, was vandalized in October.

Each year, the university hosts a "Paint the Bridge" event, which gives an opportunity for registered student groups and university departments to promote themselves by painting a panel on the Washington Avenue Bridge.

One panel reading, "Build The Wall," and another reading, "TRUMP PENCE 2016," were vandalized, painted over by the words "Stop White Supremacy."

"We find it highly disturbing that someone would vandalize a simple statement such as 'build the wall,'" the College Republicans wrote in a statement in October.

"We have received comments on the painting, falsely accusing us of being racist, xenophobic, and anti-immigrant."

Following the incident, University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler wrote that while the Trump sign "is protected as free, political speech, we have heard from members of our community who find the phrase hurtful, offensive, anti-immigrant, and anti-Latinx."

"People in our community may disagree with the sentiment expressed. However, while the University values free speech, the subsequent vandalism of the panel is not the way to advance a conversation."

"The University of Minnesota supports a campus climate that welcomes all members of our community and our values of equity and diversity, but that also ensures the free flow of ideas, even those that are offensive to some. As students and our community participate in responses to this and future issues, I urge all of us to be respectful and thoughtful in our approach. We encourage all who find some protected speech distasteful or offensive to engage in more protected speech."

Image via CAIR-Minnesota, used with permission