George Washington University student Lauren Sheldon speaks with Observer reporter Sabrina Parker. Audio by Sabrina Parker.

By LISA CHIU

Students at George Washington University are still reeling from an anti-Muslim hate flier that circulated on their campus Monday night.

Hundreds of copies of the flier were distributed in dormitories and around campus with the headline: “Hate Muslims? So do we!!!”

The flier described a “typical Muslim” as having a “hidden AK-47” assault rifle and a “peg leg for smuggling children and heroin.” It also advertised Islamofacism Awareness Week, which will be hosted by a student group called George Washington Young America’s Foundation later this month.

But the student group has said they had nothing to do with the flier.

Observer photo by Lisa Chiu
George Washington University graduate student Puspita Asmara said she felt more stares as she came on campus today and wondered who put the fliers up.

The document itself said it was “Brought to you by Students for Conservative-Fascism Awareness.” Several students said they had not heard of such a group.

Many students were so upset that they held a town hall meeting Monday night to discuss the issue, said Imam Sheybani, a George Washington University freshman and a member of the Iranian Cultural Society.

At that meeting, a few said they felt the flier was actually a satirical piece produced by a group objecting to Islamofacism Week, said Michael Tapscott, director of the university’s multicultural student services center.

“It’s hard to say, as much as you would like to believe someone was being satirical, my concern is that you don’t mix satire and race,” Tapscott said. “I don’t think you can take a hateful image and use it to fight hate.”

Regardless of whether it was satirical, Tapscott said the use of a Muslim image and the wording showed ignorance.

“If anyone had any understanding of the Islamic faith, they would know how offensive it is,” Tapscott said. “How can you be an advocate for a community by using negative imagery?”

But Tapscott said they still don’t know who is behind the flier. It could have been a supporter of Islamofacism Awareness week as well, he said.

Islamofacism Awareness Week is being held on campuses nationwide from Oct. 22-26 in cooperation with the David Horowitz Freedom Center. Horowitz is a well-known conservative writer and activist.

According to Horowitz’s Web site, the week is meant to protest what the group views as lies of the political left: that President Bush created the war on terror and that Global Warming is a greater danger to Americans than terrorism.

Other D.C.-area schools that plan to hold events include Catholic University, Georgetown University and George Mason University. American University was not listed as a participating school.

Observer photo by Sabrina Parker

George Washington University Junior Corey Struble is disgusted by the fliers that went up on campus yesterday.

American University graduate student Shaheryar Mirza said that while he felt the flier was offensive, he also questioned the motives.

“I wonder if it’s serious,” Mirza said. “If it is for real, I would wonder how people in this day and age can carry those views, especially college-educated kids.”

He said despite the motives of those who produced the flier, it can be easily misconstrued.

“I think they were trying to catch people’s eyes by doing something shocking, and they should definitely be careful of playing to people’s sensitivities,” Mirza said. “Chances are the average person won’t look that much deeper to see who did the flier.”

The university is still investigating the flier and if a culprit is found, he or she could face university punishment for violating the school’s code of conduct.

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GW students offended by hateful fliers
By SABRINA M. PARKER

Students at George Washington University are disgusted by anti-Muslim fliers that were posted on their campus yesterday. Many students are shocked that this has happened at their school.

Campus police found the hateful fliers posted yesterday morning and student groups held a meeting last night. Overall, they have denounced the message in the fliers and plan to hold forums about the Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

Freshman Iman Sheybani, a member of the GW Iranian Cultural Society, said she saw the fliers while walking with a student from Morocco. “We were shocked and she just started crying.”

GW Junior Corey Struble thinks that the posters are uncharacteristic of the campus. “I would never expect this and that’s why it was so shocking. We have built such a cohesive community of tolerance and we share ideas in a way that is respectful.”

Struble said that the students plan to speak out against the scheduled visit of conservative author and activist David Horowitz. The David Horowotz Freedom Center is affiliated with Islamofascism Awareness Week. “The problem that everyone has with this is not that they’re promoting awareness of terrorism, it’s that they’re conflating an entire religion with ideas and notions of fascism and terrorism.”

Muslim graduate student Puspita Asmara said she was surprised by the fliers but her friends on campus said that things like this have happened before. Her experience is that people on campus are usually understanding of Muslim culture.

In a statement released yesterday, George Washington University President Steven Knapp said that the flier does not represent the views of the administration, faculty or student body. He pointed out that later this week students and faculty of all faiths will convene for the 6th annual GW Community Iftar, the meal celebrated by Muslims to break fast during Ramadan. “This event speaks to our university’s commitment to global cultural understanding and respect,” Knapp wrote.

University police are reviewing security tapes to determine who put up the fliers. If a student was involved, the university is prepared to reprimand them. If an off-campus group is responsible, the case may be turned over to District police.