On Monday, Nov. 21, The Spectrum reported a crime committed against a Muslim student named Thawab, who requested to have her last name remain anonymous.
Her car was defaced with two swastikas and a penis; this was the third crime the senior English and political science major has experienced in her time at UB. She views all three of the incidents unquestionably as hate crimes. The University Police Department disagrees.
"The university should be a safe and welcoming place for all people, and University Police are taking this incident very seriously," said John Della Contrada, assistant vice president for media relations. "At this point in the University Police investigation, it is premature to categorize this incident as a hate crime because the motivation of the perpetrator is not known."
The incident isn't considered a hate crime because of how New York State law defines hate crimes, according to Chief of University Police Gerald Schoenle.
"[Determining it a hate crime] has to go by the intent of the person that does the act." Schoenle said. "You have to know the intent of the person to classify it as a hate crime. It's a pretty high standard to meet."
The investigation remains open, and UPD encourages anyone who has information to contact the department. Schoenle identified this incident as "criminal mischief." Without a witness, it will be difficult for the case to progress.
Thawab's biggest issue with UPD's reaction was its decision not to send out an alert to the entire campus.
The incident did not meet the appropriate criteria for a campus alert to be issued, according to Schoenle and Della Contrada. The alerts are reserved for large-threat emergencies or immediate threats.
"[The incidents have to] have the potential to affect the health and safety of the campus community," Della Contrada said.
Sunny Jamil, secretary of the Muslim Student Association and a sophomore computer science major, believes that UPD is viewing the incident incorrectly, and that's why an alert was not sent.
"[UPD] didn't see it as something significant or dangerous or as something that could happen again." Jamil said.
Schoenle described this case as an "isolated incident" and says he has no way of knowing whether or not the victim was targeted.
"If the same person is being targeted over and over again, it's common sense that it's not a coincidence," said Ayyaz Tufil, president of the Muslim Student Association and a junior mechanical engineering major.
Thawab doesn't feel that UPD is viewing all the incidents she has experienced on campus collectively. She has plans to ensure the lead investigator by her case views all three police reports she has filed together.
Two years ago a student told Thawab, "Go blow yourself up." The incident wasn't considered a hate crime or a threat by UPD because the student didn't say he wanted to blow her up directly, according to Thawab.
While it is impossible to exactly know the perpetrators' intent without their identification, Thawab and members of the Muslim Student Association think it's ridiculous not to classify the incidents Thawab has encountered at UB as non-hate-crimes.
Jamil understands that UPD may not feel it has the necessary evidence to consider the car-keying a hate crime. To him, the intent is proven by the suspect's choice to key a swastika.
"[Chief Schoenle] knows that one car got keyed on both sides with a swastika; to him it's just a natural event, but knowing Thawab, her views, and what she's been through, this is a hate crime in my view," Jamil said. "Why would someone draw a swastika? Why wouldn't they draw something else? What does that mean to people? It means hatred."
Enid Bloch, an adjunct professor of political philosophy, can't understand how UPD can view this "shameful event" as anything other than a hate crime.
Bloch has some insight as to why the swastika – which also has ties as a religious symbol meaning power, strength and good luck – may have been keyed into Thawab's car.
"There are a few people in the Jewish community who view the Muslims as neo-Nazis," Bloch said. "There is an ideology that some people are subscribing to, that holds all Muslims to be people we should be should be suspicious of because they imagine them to be harboring pro-terrorist sentiments."
Bloch emphasized that such individuals only represent a tiny minority of the larger Jewish community.
Bloch also reported that in recent years, a number of mosques have been defaced with swastikas in France, England, India, and elsewhere. She believes such incidents stem from anti-immigrant sentiments.
Thawab has been surprised by the overwhelming support she has received from people. Following The Spectrum's article, WGRZ-Channel 2 News contacted Thawab and did a segment on the incident.
Additionally, students interested in organizing a protest against what they called "UB's inaction" have contacted Thawab.
"It was nice to see everyone come together in solidarity in opposition to what they saw as obvious hatred." Thawab said. "I hope something good comes out of this. In the future, if this should happen again, UPD could reconsider what is a hate crime and what isn't, so students can feel safe on campus."
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
