UCD and City of Davis Put Out Joint Statement to the Community on the Islamic Center Vandalism

by Ralph Hexter, Robb Davis and Adela de la Torre

Early Sunday morning, the Islamic Center of Davis, a place of worship for members of the UC Davis and Davis Muslim communities, suffered serious vandalism. Six exterior windowpanes were shattered, two bicycles on the property were destroyed, and strips of uncooked bacon were placed on an exterior door handle. The City of Davis Police Department is investigating the incident as a hate crime.

We want to express the disgust, outrage, and sadness we feel over this incident. We know that it has caused, and continues to cause, great distress and fear among members of the Muslim communities at UC Davis and in the City of Davis. We extend to both our deep sympathy and unwavering support.

Acts and words of hatred directed toward Muslims as a group is an urgent and growing problem across our society. Solving that problem will require greater awareness, understanding, and cooperation among all of us. As leaders of the university and the city, we affirm our commitment to doing all we can to eliminate anti-Muslim hatred, and to respond swiftly whenever it appears on the campus or in the city.

Behind our commitment is our strong belief that inclusion of and respect for people from all backgrounds is a simple matter of justice and of recognizing the innate dignity that all humans share. In addition, we have seen how both our university and city are greatly enriched by the presence and contributions of our Muslim populations. Hateful acts or words toward any group have no place at UC Davis or in Davis—indeed, they are direct violations of the Principles of One Community signed by the City of Davis and UC Davis, of the UC Davis Principles of Community, and of city policy.

We want to ensure that all who have been adversely affected by this incident feel safe and supported. At UC Davis, walk-in counseling services are available in the Student Health and Wellness Center, and students can speak with an advice nurse by calling 530-752-2349. In addition, Student Affairs is working closely with colleagues in the UC Davis Middle East/South Asia Studies community to provide additional support. And campus leadership is partnering with members of the Davis Islamic Center to establish healing and support spaces for our students during this difficult time.

UC Davis and the City of Davis are home to people of the Muslim faith from around the world. Each one enriches our lives and brings new perspectives to our community. We will continue our work to support and protect them and to stand against those seeking to sow fear.

Ralph J. Hexter is the Interim Chancellor of UC Davis, Adela de la Torre is the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, Robb Davis is the Mayor of the City of Davis

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8 comments

  1. Not sure the term “terrorist” is stated,  nor directly implied… maybe I missed that memo…

    I believe the joint statement has language that is a bit “over the top” on several points… yet, vandalism is reprehensible, and illegal… the fact that it was a place of worship, double the reprehensible… the implication that it was directed towards a particular religion (likely?) makes it even more reprehensible, but not more illegal.

    1. “the implication that it was directed towards a particular religion (likely?) makes it even more reprehensible, but not more illegal.”

      It depends what you mean by more illegal. Vandalism is a less serious charge than vandalism with a hate crime.

      1. So, a crime against a ‘house of worship’ is not a “hate crime”?   If it was against a Catholic/Protestant/Mormon/Unitarian ‘house of worship’, it would not be a “hate crime”?  Obviously if it was a Bahai/Jewish/Islamic/AME, etc., tho’, it is?

        Maybe I’m not understanding your parsing (or you didn’t understand mine)… if you acknowledge that any vandalism against any ‘house of worship’ is inherently a hate crime, whether bacon, etc. were placed or not, I might agree with your rebuttal…

        1. Catholic/Protestant/Mormon/Unitarian ‘house of worship’, it would not be a “hate crime

          Howard

          We don’t know yet if the “hater” showed by  the video normally is wearing burka and veil  or traditional  Hasidic cloth or  perhaps   is  the Milo’s follower or perhaps  some idiot and moron having fun in the middle of the night.

          Catholic/Protestant/Mormon/Unitaria are the oppressors according to : 

          UC-Davis characterized Christians as oppressors
          Thursday, February 17, 2011
           
          DAVIS, Calif. — The University of California at Davis agreed Wednesday to either revise or eliminate its problematic definition of religious discrimination that characterized Christians as oppressors of non-Christians. The definition was the subject of a letter sent to UC-Davis by an Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney on behalf of more than 25 concerned students that same day.

          “Christians deserve the same protections against religious discrimination as any other students on a public university campus. It’s very good to see officials at UC-Davis agree,” said ADF Senior Counsel David French. “Anti-Christian discrimination is an epidemic on American university campuses, and that’s what made the UC-Davis definition ridiculously absurd. We wish that more universities would be as proactive in addressing such concerns as UC-Davis has been here.”

          The UC-Davis policy defined “Religious/Spiritual Discrimination” in its “Principles of Community Glossary” as “The loss of power and privilege to those who do not practice the dominant culture’s religion.  In the United States, this is institutionalized oppressions toward those who are not Christian.”

        2. I agree with your basic premise… we don’t know… I’ve agreed with you that no one should read too much into the ‘facts’ as we know them now… someone, saying categorically, that it was a hate crime, if limited only to the nature of the house of worship,  is a bit presumptive at his point…

           

    2. Howard

      The previous article about  was entitled “Hate Crime against Davis Islamic Center Leaves Community on Edge” . The title means that community is being terrorized and terrified psychologically or physically .  You probably  remember the article about the anonymous threatening letter sent to the Davis Islamic Center.

      1. Ok… did not associate “threat” to “terrorism”… but understand where others may… the “eye of the beholder” thing… accept that you used the term, as you see it…

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