Photo by Xnatedawgx via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Metropolitan State University of Denver said this past week that it would be launching an investigation into an on-campus confrontation between a woman and Muslim students, reports The Denver Post.
Tweets claim that two Muslim men were praying in an MSU Denver computer lab when an unidentified woman allegedly told them to pray somewhere else and started playing music loudly. In the video, she flips off the camera and says, “F**k you and f**k all your family, too.”
The video currently has over thirteen thousand retweets. While some comments are supportive, a lot of the Twitter comments accuse the poster of provoking the woman and question why the men are praying in a room where people are studying.
Students are studying. Your religion is your private life. Pray in a mosque. Stop provocation.
— Loo Bona (@Loobona) December 7, 2019
I agree with her. Go pray in a mosque or in your home or in private. There’s no reason for public praying. How about I come to your mosque and start reading the Bible
— Mike Lang (@mikelang828689) December 7, 2019
I disagree about how and where he prays in a class room it’s a no no go study Islam properly. Go find a empty room library a empty hall or outside in open but not in studying room
— shafiq nazari (@steve_zealous) December 7, 2019
The Council on American-Islamic Relations responded to the incident.
LATEST STORIES
“As many of these hate incidents as I’ve seen online, I still manage to become shocked when I see one,” said CAIR-Colorado Acting Board Chair Krista Cole, according to KDVR. “The five obligatory prayers have a timetable. For whatever reason, these [men] didn’t feel like they could make it across campus or they didn’t feel like they could make it to a prayer room or a mosque.”
According to 9NEWS.com, MSU Denver stated on Friday that they are currently engaging with the involved students to identify steps moving forward; they also confirmed that most of those involved are affiliated with the school but their identities will not be disclosed.
“MSU Denver takes its commitment to diversity very seriously and places a high value on cultivating and sustaining a respectful and inclusive campus community,” reads the statement.
“Our religious freedoms grant us the right to practice our faith publicly and to be free of harassment or intimidation while doing so,” Cole said in a statement. “We urge MSU Denver to continue investigating this incident and work to ensure all students are comfortable practicing their faith on campus.”
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story.
