Colorado Politics

In wake of MSU Denver investigation into altercation, Muslim advocacy group calls for discipline

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is asking for disciplinary action after Metropolitan State University of Denver announced an investigation into alleged harassment of Muslim students praying on campus.

“Our religious freedoms grant us the right to practice our faith publicly and to be free of harassment or intimidation while doing so,” CAIR, a Muslim advocacy organization, said in a statement.

In a tweet from Dec. 2, a user wrote, “So we’re praying Maghreb [sic] and this lady starts going off trying to say ‘DO THIS SOMEWHERE ELSE’ and then starts bumping music. So we confront after and she begins with ‘F your religion..F you..I don’t care about your prayers’ just belligerence. Omar comes to pray and she continues.”

The Maghrib, performed just after sunset, is one of the five daily prayers of Islam. The user added that he prays in the computer lab, where the confrontation took place, typically without incident.

A video attached to the tweet pans between a male standing by a wall and quietly muttering prayers to a woman sitting at a computer. When the camera is on her, she extends both of her middle fingers. The man filming raises his voice while continuing to pray.

MSU Denver said that it “takes its commitment to diversity very seriously and places a high value on cultivating and sustaining a respectful and inclusive campus community.”

Metropolitan State University of Denver, on the Auraria campus.
Google Maps Street View
Tags

PREV

PREVIOUS

Ethics commission moves forward on Hickenlooper complaint with tentative hearing date

Citing a “sense of urgency,” the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission on Thursday set a preliminary date of March 17 for hearing the ethics complaints filed against former governor and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Hickenlooper. The ethics charges against Hickenlooper began in October 2018 when former Speaker of the House Frank McNulty, on behalf of […]

NEXT

NEXT UP

Gov. Jared Polis praises Denver for helping 'lead the way' toward green energy goals

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, gives closing remarks during Mayor Michael Hancock’s Sustainable Denver Summit on Thursday, Dec. 5. (Photo by Alayna Alvarez, Colorado Politics) In back-to-back days this week, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis made public appearances in Denver to extol new multi-modal initiatives that shift the state from fossil fuels. The first was on […]


Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests