Students and faculty gathered in front of the Wilbur Cross building this morning to demonstrate their intolerance of discrimination in relation to the hateful events that transpired this weekend. Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, someone anonymously wrote “Killed Paris” on the door name tag of a Muslim student. This student, named Mahmoud Hashem, spoke about the hurtful message at the demonstration, and lots of empathetic people showed up to listen.
Mahmoud handled himself wonderfully under such unfortunate circumstances. He told the attentive audience that when he heard about the message on his door he thought it was a joke but was afterward very battered by it. He declared that he “loves America” and spoke on the lack of resilience he has for being treated like a terrorist. UConn students were allowed to express themselves and their opinions on the issue if they wished. Students spoke about the “failure of empathy” that this hurtful message illustrated, calling it an “attack on humanity.” One student seemed to consolidate everyones’ thoughts on the issue in the statement that there is “no room for hatred…at UConn.”