With the Words Washed Away, the Hurt Remains: Colorado Muslims React to Racist Graffiti

November 1, 2003

Source: Rocky Mountain News

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2393264,00.html

On November 1, 2003 the Rocky Mountain News reported that "messages of hatred jumped out at two Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies while they were on routine patrol Tuesday near the Colorado Muslim Society Islamic Center.Scrawled with a black marker on a green telephone box just outside the center's fence were the words "KKK" and 'All Muslims will die,' accompanied by two swastikas. The graffiti have been removed from 2071 S. Parker Road, but Muslim Society spokesman Mohamed Jodeh said they were hurtful nonetheless. 'I would like to invite whoever did that to sit down and engage in a dialogue instead of sneaking around in the dark' condemning the Muslim community, he said Wednesday. Anti-Islamic crimes spiked across the country and in Colorado in 2001, mostly in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks."