Ohio State President Drake criticizes alleged verbal assaults against Muslims

Rasa - Ohio State University's president sent an open letter Saturday night criticizing verbal assaults on students and others. The letter comes after the Council on American-Islamic Relations complained of two alleged incidents in Columbus.

News ID: 425139

Date: 18 November 2016 - 01:04

RNA - Ohio State University's president sent an open letter Saturday night criticizing verbal assaults on students and others. The letter comes after the Council on American-Islamic Relations complained of two alleged incidents in Columbus.

"Over these past few days, we have heard deeply disturbing reports of verbal assaults on students and others at a wide range of institutions, from middle schools to universities across the country, including our own campus," OSU President Dr. Michael V. Drake wrote in a letter also signed by nine other OSU leaders.

One incident that CAIR cited in a Saturday statement is a Muslim female student at Ohio State allegedly being threatened for wearing a head scarf, called a hijab.

The other incident cited by CAIR also involves a Muslim woman wearing a hijab. She was in her car with her children and elderly parents and was stopped at a traffic light when she was confronted by a man who shouted obscenities at them, called the woman vile names, told them to leave the country and then took photos of the children, a move that the woman took as a threat, according to CAIR, an advocacy and civil-liberties organization.

"We are alarmed by the nationwide rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes," said Romin Iqbal, a staff attorney for CAIR's Ohio chapter. "We hope law-enforcement authorities follow up on this and all other alleged hate crimes targeting American Muslims. If perpetrators are held to account, it will lead to a reduction in the number of these incidents."

It's unclear whether either of the incidents resulted in law enforcement being contacted.

Drake posted his letter on Twitter about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, addressing it to students and faculty and staff members.

"We pride ourselves on being an inclusive, welcoming and ultimately safe place for people and ideas from all corners of our society and all around the world," Drake wrote. "It is in fact the collective sum of our experiences and backgrounds that makes us so strong."

Free-speech rights are vital, Drake added, but threats and intimidation won't be permitted. He asked the letter readers to contact authorities if such acts occur.

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