Feces Smeared Over NJ School Sign, Increasing Calls For Hate Crime Probe

PATERSON, NJ — The vandalism of a Passaic County public school must be investigated as a hate crime, say leaders in New Jersey's Muslim community, as the school sign has been vandalized yet again.

The Dr. Hani Awadallah School was named for a Paterson resident who “worked tirelessly to improve the lives of children and new immigrants” in the Arab-American community, the school website says.

Twice since Friday, someone has smeared feces and/or another substance across the last five letters of Awadallah's name (“allah”) on the school in south Paterson, said New Jersey chapter of the Council on Islamic-American Relations.

Allah is the holy name of God in Arabic, and the graffiti happened as Muslims are celebrating the sacred month of Ramadan worldwide. CAIR-NJ is asking law enforcement to investigate these instances as a hate crime, and reiterated this call Monday after reporting the sign had been defaced again.

Police and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office have not said if they've charged anyone in connection with these incidents.

“While the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unknown, the smearing of the word ‘Allah’ in Dr. Awadallah’s name is apparently intentional, with the remainder of the sign left untouched, making an immediate hate crime investigation into this incident necessary,” said CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut on Saturday.

CAIR-NJ said it recorded the highest number of complaints of anti-Muslim predjudices in 2022, a count of 152. Ramadan usually coincides with an uptick in reported anti-Muslim actions, said CAIR-NJ leaders.

“Over the years, our records have shown that complaints increase around and during Ramadan, in part because Muslims are more visible and take up more space — physically and metaphorically,” Maksut said.

“This upward trend of complaints of anti-Muslim incidents is wholly unacceptable," he continued. "Local interfaith leaders and community members in Paterson have worked hard to make the city welcoming and inclusive of people of all faiths, and we must come together to show that behaviors like this are not only unwelcome but condemnable."

Officials are also investigating the stabbing of a Paterson imam during morning prayers Sunday; a man has been charged with attempted murder after attacking worship leader Sayed Elnakib. Related article — Attempted Murder Charge Filed In Stabbing Of Paterson Imam At Mosque

CAIR-NJ said they do not believe the incidents are related in a statement Monday.

"We call on elected officials, local leaders and allies of the Muslim community to stand firmly against this apparently bias-motivated incident and make clear that this sort of bigotry has no home here and will never succeed," Maksut said.

Paterson Police, currently overseen by New Jersey State Police Major Frederick Fife after the state took over the department, and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office have not released any information on an investigation into the school graffiti. Patch has reached out to both for additional information.