What’s the over/under that this turns out to be yet another in a long line of fake hate crimes? And, really, is this actually a crime?
(Texas Tribune) Police are continuing to investigate an incident at the University of Texas at Dallas where two copies of the Muslim holy book were recently found inside a toilet bowl.
The Mercury, UT-Dallas’ student newspaper, broke the news April 11 that two UT-Dallas students noticed the copies of the Quran in the men’s bathroom on March 28 and alerted authorities.
UT-Dallas Police Chief Larry Zacharias told The Texas Tribune on Thursday that investigators “don’t have too many leads†but are conducting video reviews with help from university staff. He said his team may have narrowed the timeframe for the incident down to about a 30-minute period.
They aren’t regular police, but, campus police are employed by the state of Texas, as it is a state institution. Do they have nothing better to do than hunt down the perpetrators of Wrongthink? What law(s) was broken? Perhaps if someone had stolen the Korans, OK, theft. No one has reported any Korans missing. Otherwise, it would mean someone purchased two Korans and left them in the toilet. Is destruction of your own property a crime now? At least in reference to books.
The president of UT-Dallas’ Muslim Students Association condemned the incident in an interview with The Mercury.
“Given the current political climate and how Muslims are portrayed in the media, it makes certain individuals act in this hateful way,†said Mohammad Syed.
It’s interesting how this whole thing played out, per the Mercury link.
Jonathan Schuler, the head of the SG legislative affairs committee, discovered the Qurans in the bathrooms after the Student Government meeting on March 28. Schuler came to the office and asked the senators what they were supposed to do.
“I was appalled. It made a lot of the hate I had been hearing and seeing on national news real, and very present,†he said.
Sammy Lutes, a neuroscience senior who serves as a senator on the legislative affairs committee, immediately took pictures of the incident as evidence.
The Student Union manager was then notified, who called UTD police to remove the “evidence.” And then the Student Government then released a condemnation statement.
It’s actually surprising that it has not made the national news other than Fox. It’s not surprising that police, especially on campus, have been dragged in to investigate Wrongthink. Can’t wait till they attempt to hide that this was a hoax under the rug.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Vandalism, destruction of property, littering, harassment?… The point you are tap-dancing around is whether this qualifies as a ‘hate crime’, a question privileged majorities often ask when incidents intended to insult minorities occur. Clearly this was act was intended as a message. But a hate crime, probably not, in this case.
The toilet could have damaged or clogged.
Universities can have more restrictive regulations than general society. For example they could punish the perpetrators with expulsion even if no crime was committed. Similar to a company firing an employee found putting swastikas on bathroom mirrors.
It looks like a public art installation that has a juxtaposition of exotic color tones with stark industrial whites and chrome while inviting people to consider the teachings of one of mankind’s great religions on the rules and unequal gender treatment about toilet behavior.
Volume 1, Book 4, Number 149:
The Prophet said to his wives, “You are allowed to go out to answer the call of nature. ”
The bathroom should be entered with the left foot first. (Fiqh – Islamic law)
The penis should be held with the left hand only when urinating (Muslim 512)
A person should wipe their butt with an odd number of stones after defecating (Bukhari 4:163)
Book 002, Number 0507:
Abu Ayyub reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Whenever you go to the desert, neither turn your face nor turn your back towards the Qibla while answering the call of nature, but face towards the east or the west
…ruined a working toilet, shame!
Not good! This creates an explosive situation.
I can’t understand why there isn’t a turd on top of it.
It would have been so much easier to burn them before they were waterlogged, now you’re going to have to use some charcoal lighter, maybe some bacon fat on them.
so what … most likely a hoax and if not again so what? I see one of the abusers likes to use the term hate crime, no such thing, only a true idiot regardless of political persuasion thinks there is such a thing. I agree with the comment that it was an art project