US Muslim Group Condemns Swastikas, Racist Graffiti Found at Maryland University
The swastikas and offensive graffiti were discovered last week in the Plant Sciences Building of the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland, campus police said.
It marks the latest in a series of hate incidents on the campus, where prosecutors allege a UM student with ties to white supremacist groups killed black Bowie State University student Richard Collins.
Hate-filled images and slurs have been found repeatedly on the campus in recent months amid an unprecedented, nationwide spike in hate incidents targeting America Muslims nationwide since President Donald Trump took office, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said.
The council said it has been working with UM’s a recently appointed task force formed last week in response to the latest hate incidents, "to create a more inclusive and safe learning environment for all students.”
"Despite measures by campus administration to promote tolerance, this latest display of racist symbols and messages is yet another indicator of a campus environment that is increasingly hostile toward many minority students,” said the council’s Maryland Outreach manager, Zainab Chaudry.
Last week, UM formed the Joint President/Senate Inclusion & Respect Task Force, with faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students and alumni, to build tolerance and combat hate incidents.
Daniel Falvey, chairman of the University Senate, said the task force "provides an opportunity for the various constituencies on our campus to be engaged in the process and ensures that the task force will have the support and authority to recommend measures that will chart a path towards a campus culture intolerant of hate.”
Source: TMN
