Tuesday March 26, 2024
By Will Wixey
Somali UW students receive racist letter, call for change
After Somali University of Washington students recently received a racist letter, advocates are calling for change following other incidents of Muslim harassment on campus.
SEATTLE - After Somali University of Washington students recently received a racist letter, advocates are calling for change following other incidents of Muslim harassment on campus.
The Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) says the UW Seattle Somali Student Association received a letter on March 13, during the first few days of Ramadan, which included the phrase, "go back to whatever s***hole you came from," among other profanity.
The Somali Student Association filed a police report and is calling for solidarity and support. They plan to hold a demonstration at the UW Quad on March 28 at noon.
"It is clear that the SSA has been targeted with this racist, Islamophobic rhetoric due to their principled and consistent activism in standing against the genocide in Gaza," said CAIR-WA Executive Director Imraan Siddiqi. "The hate experienced by Muslim students on campuses across this state is disturbing. However, our community stands in support of the SSA and we refuse to be silenced in the face of such blatant anti-Muslim bigotry."
In light of other anti-Muslin incidents at UW, including ongoing harassment of a Muslim student and an attack against a woman wearing a hijab, CAIR-WA says it is imperative that UW speaks out against Islamaphobia, anti-Muslim bias and hate in all its forms.
The University of Washington issued the following statement on the racist letter:
"Our University will not tolerate harassment or discrimination, and we will pursue every possible avenue to identify and hold accountable anyone guilty of committing these sorts of acts against our students, faculty or staff. After the Somali Student Association received a hateful and racist letter earlier this month, staff at the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center swiftly connected them with the UW Police Department to file a police report and provide them with support resources. UWPD is currently investigating this incident in partnership with our law enforcement partners."