Muslim Hate Poster Found on Rutgers Campus

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - An anti-Muslim poster was found Monday on the Rutgers New Brunswick campus that calls for a "Muslim-Free America."

The poster, seen above, featured the World Trade Center Twin Towers with the words "Imagine a Muslim-Free America." It was found at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, a building frequently used by Muslim students for daily prayers and cultural events. American Vanguard is a white supremacist group.

A second flyer was found Wednesday morning outside the school's Center for Latino Arts and Culture. It said something to the effect of "we deserve the right to exist," and again was posted by American Vanguard.

A Rutgers student took this photo, sent it the blog MuslimGirl, and from there the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) was alerted to it. The Rutgers student originally gave their name to MuslimGirl, but then preferred to stay anonymous. The Paul Robeson Center is one of the first black cultural centers on a U.S. college campus, and today it's frequently used by many groups, including the Rutgers Muslim Students Association.

"It's surprising and it's discouraging," James Sues, CAIR-NJ's executive director, told Patch on Wednesday. "I know the police are investigating and I hope there's some surveillance footage of whoever put this up. It's certainly out of character for Rutgers. Rutgers has a very diverse student body and a large number of Muslim students."

That same poster was also found Tuesday at the University of Texas-Austin campus, and American Vanguard took credit for it.

“Several members of the Rutgers community on Monday evening reported that they were offended and threatened by a flyer from American Vanguard that was posted at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, which also serves as a prayer space on campus," said a Rutgers spokesman. "Following our standard protocol, the RUPD responded and the flyer was removed."

"We strongly condemn this kind of speech and are appalled that our Muslim community was targeted in this way," he added.

In light of the incident, Sues asked Rutgers to provide increased security for Muslim students. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is also reviewing the matter.

Sues said that across the nation, his organization has seen an "unprecedented" spike in Islamophobic rhetoric and anti-Muslim incidents since the November 8 election of President Donald Trump.

"Frankly in New Jersey I would say it's not that far up from sort of average, as far as the number of incidents we've seen," said Sues. "In October a group trying to open a mosque in Bayonne, and getting resistance from the local Zoning board, had a graffiti incident at the church basement they're currently using, graffiti with Trump's name on it."