Feds to investigate anti-Muslim activity at Minnesota schools

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating anti-Muslim activities at public schools in Owatonna and St. Cloud, according to the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Recent reports of both students and teachers harassing Muslim students have led the federal agency to investigate possible civil rights violations.

Among the complaints (PDF) submitted to the DOE: Students “shoved [bacon] in the faces of Muslim students and chased after them when they tried to get away,” a “teacher, on several occasions, handed students a can of air freshener and instructed them to spray the room when Muslim students walked into class,” and both teachers and students have used racial slurs and disparaged Islam during class time.

“Our goal is to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all students,” said CAIR-MN Civil Rights Director Taneeza Islam in a statement. “Decades after the beginning of the civil rights movement, no student should be constantly subjected to racial slurs or harassment at school.”

The DOE’s responses to the incidents in Owatonna and St. Cloud can be viewed here (PDF) and here (PDF).