Students at UConn are calling for more support from university leaders after several Muslim student groups received threatening, hate-filled voicemails and emails.
"There are students here on this campus that are visibly Muslim, visibly wearing hijabs and feel as if they have a target on their back," said Lena Maarouf, former Students for Justice in Palestine president at UConn Storrs.
On Oct. 31, Maarouf received a voicemail riddled with racial slurs and death threats from an Okalahoma-based phone number.
The voicemail began with "Yeah, I belong to the students for the death of all Hamas, you’re supporting baby killers, people who rape grandma."
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"It's scary to know that someone went out of their way to look up our number and send us this hateful message," Maarouf said.
And she isn't alone. The Muslim Students' Association at UConn Stamford received a similarly threatening email that contained language celebrating people being killed in Gaza.
"Words like the one contained in the email spark that ideology, spark that hatred. They can radicalize someone so very quickly," said Muneeb Sayed, president of the Muslim Students Association at UConn Storrs.
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University spokesperson Stephanie Reitz released a statement, saying in part:
"UConn unequivocally condemns islamophobia, just as it condemns antisemitism and all forms of hatred. We recognize the concern generated by the messages, and we join others in condemning the hateful sentiments in the strongest terms."
Students say they would like to see university leaders do more to keep people safe. A senior we spoke to, who requested we only use her first name, described feeling overwhelmed, scared to go to class and afraid to express her identity.
"I just generally don't feel safe on campus at all. I have a night class that usually ends around 7, and believe it or not, unfortunately, I have a hoodie. I carry it in my backpack because I want to cover up my hijab," Nour said.
Students say they would also like to see the school host more educational programs aimed at teaching students about about what's happening in Israel and Gaza.
UConn said at this point, there's no indication these messages came from the UConn community or the state.
These incidents have been documented to the UConn Bias Reporting process and UConn police. In the case of the voicemail, that incident would be reported to the former student's local police department.
NBC Connecticut also spoke to Jewish students belonging to UConn Hillel. They say they've also received hate-filled messaging, particularly online.
"It's almost like we have to defend talking about Israel and our students here who are studying as exchange students or family members that are in Israel. It feels very hard that we have to defend them, on social media especially," Yana Tartakovskiy, vice president of communications at UConn Hillel, said.
Tartakovskiy said they would like to plan more interfaith events on campus, and some are already in the works.
The governor announced plans last week to meet with campus safety officials from across the state. His office said that's scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16.
