Police Investigating Burnt Quran at Arizona State University
The Muslim Students Association of ASU released a statement and photos Wednesday evening, calling the incident a hate crime. The group urged ASU officials to investigate and hold whoever is responsible to account. They also asked university officials to publicly condemn the act and ensure students feel that campus is safe for all faiths and practices.
The incident took place in the Interfaith Reflection Room at Hayden Library, a space where many Muslim students go to pray, according to the student group. The ASU Police Department confirmed it was “investigating reported criminal damage” in the library room after being notified of property and facilities damage.
“Detectives from the ASU Police Department have gathered all available evidence, and are aggressively pursuing leads,” police spokesperson Adam Wolfe wrote in an email. He declined to comment further due to the active investigation.
“There should be zero tolerance for any actions of hatred on campus,” the Muslim Students Association’s statement said. “The safety concerns of the Muslim students on campus cannot go unheard or unattended.”
Photos show damaged pages
Photos posted to the group’s Instagram page show what appear to be burned and torn up Quran and Islamic literature pages, as well as a damaged wall.
Imam Omar Tawil, the leader of the mosque near ASU and chaplain for Muslim students on campus, said students are concerned about the reported incident, including because it’s the second time in recent weeks a religious community was targeted on campus.
Last month, antisemitic flyers were found on the Tempe campus, according to the State Press.
Tawil said he and students plan to meet with ASU officials to talk about the investigation and concerns of religious groups.
“It is unfortunate this is happening on the ASU campus, but we’re not going to let fear settle in our hearts and we’re not going to be intimidated by it,” Tawil said.
Numerous campus groups, mosques and civil rights organizations have reached out to offer help, he said, adding that ASU administrators were cooperative and supportive.
Hate crimes typically low on campus
The Arizona office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement Thursday calling on ASU, state and federal law enforcement to investigate the burning of Islamic religious materials in the prayer room. Executive director Azza Abuseif said her office got involved after ASU students reached out for advice.
“This could be any religious book that could have been burned, and this is just the beginning of a hateful rhetoric, so we want to make sure we’re not letting things like this slide right from the beginning."
“Don’t be hateful on campus — it should be a safe place for any person to come and worship or come and read or learn about any religion or any topic,” Abuseif said.
Wolfe from ASU Police noted that Arizona law does not have an official “hate crime” category for investigations.
“Any prejudicial motivations would be considered an aggravating factor for any charges filed at the time of an arrest. At this stage, we do not know the motive or the circumstances of the incident,” Wolfe wrote.
Hate crimes are relatively rare on Arizona university campuses, according to annual reports released under federal law known as the Clery Act. Hate crimes involve criminal offenses against a person or property motivated by bias against a race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.
“ASU takes a strong stance against hate crimes, violent acts, property damage, intimidation, and threats because of a person’s perceived personal characteristics,” the university’s most recent Clery report states.
There was a slight uptick in hate crimes reported on campuses in 2020, with two at the University of Arizona, one at Northern Arizona University and one at Grand Canyon University.
ASU reported no on-campus hate crimes last year and none in 2019 or 2018.
Source: AzCentral
