Anti-Muslim fliers surface in St. Cloud

At least two fliers mocking Islam have been found near Somali-oriented businesses in St. Cloud, the St. Cloud Times reported Thursday. The images included swastikas and the Muslim prophet Mohammed in sexualized situations.

Local police are investigating whether the incidents constituted a crime and, if so, whether they could be classified as hate crime.

Deko Farah, who manages the Mandeeq Shop outside of which a flier appeared, told the Times, “Right now we’re not feeling safe.”

Racist and anti-Semitic incidents are not new in St. Cloud. Swastikas have repeatedly shown up at St. Cloud State University in the last few years, including three times in 2007. The letters “KKK” were posted in an elevator on campus in 2008, and a cross was burned in a city park in October of this year.

Those are only the most recent incidents. The situation was so bad that in 2002, when a retired St. Cloud professor and his colleagues sent letters to students in Twin Cities schools warning them of the hostile climate.