Bucknell responds to anti-Islamic and white nationalist flyers

‘I am disheartened but hopeful for the future, to say the least’

Bucknell was shocked after white supremacist photos were found on campus. An email sent around by President Bravman condemned the actions and said they would stand in solidarity with students.

The Tab spoke to Muslim and international students and faculty about how they found out about the flyers, and what their responses were.

Eddy Lopez, an Assistant Professor of Art and Art History repurposed the hateful flyers, giving them a more positive message. In doing so, Lopez said:

“I re-purposed the hate posters found on campus earlier this week because I think it’s extremely important that these hate messages be combated- that opposing messages of love and diversity be much more forcefully cried out to drown out the hate. In my re-purposed designs, I decided to include the original posters, with my message superimposed over them, as I think it’s important to recognize and not deny that these hateful ideas are out in the public sphere. Rather, we should expose the division and hatred they try to sow, and reinforce that love and unity are the way forward for our country and world.”

Kabir Uddin, president of the Muslim Student Association, expressed his personal thoughts on the matter, saying:

“What I tend to do when there are issues that arise is I analyze them through the lens of my faith, Islam. Naturally, when I heard about the recent anti-Islamic and white supremacist posters posted in the grove, I was taken aback but I was brought right back into reality by my faith. Right away, I remembered a verse in the Qur’an that states ‘Repel evil by that which is better, and then the one who is hostile to you will become as a devoted friend. (41:34).'”

“Yes, these remarks were quite hard to swallow especially at a campus where I thought my way of life was protected and safe, but my way of responding is not by spewing hate no matter how much I disagree but spewing love because that’s the way to change. Muslim students and non Muslim students alike felt some sort of way with regards to the recent events, but I would encourage the Muslim students especially to look back to the fundamentals of our faith, Islam, and understand God is the Granter of Resolve from hate and we should be patient and steadfast to see the change through. I am disheartened but hopeful for the future, to say the least.”

Huthaifa Aladwan, 18, Mechanical Engineering, said:

“The flyers were what we feared the most concerning hate towards unity. It was sad to see attempts of dividing on campus. When it comes to the Muslim community on campus, we are a minority, but that doesn’t mean we are alone. The flyers made me feel like I don’t belong here, that I crossed the world to find myself in a place that I’m not wanted.”

“After thinking about it, however, I realized how this shall not stop us from staying united, a lot of the people on campus love us and support us, we must not forget that, for it is love and compassion that our prophet (PBUH) taught us. Patience is key, and we’ll get through this, and all of us stay unharmed. To all of the Bucknell community and members, we are united, we are one, we are better than this, and we shall not be divided. Stay strong. Keep believing, and don’t be embarrassed or scared to reach out for help.”
 

Mateen Qureshi, 20, Computer Engineering, said: 

“We do live in something of a cocoon out here so I didn’t really fathom there could be something like this going on so close to us. It was a bit disturbing, and I really hope Bucknell administration is doing its best to make this campus a welcoming place for students of all religions and cultures.”


While this incident was certainly jarring to the Bucknell community, it seems that students are working harder than ever to recover and to make Bucknell a home for students of all religious backgrounds.

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