SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The New Jersey Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has filed a civil rights complaint against Rutgers University, alleging an ongoing pattern of anti-Palestinian bigotry since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Officials with CAIR say the university has had ample time to address instances of direct and indirect discrimination, and it has failed to respond or take reasonable steps to address the problems.
The complaint follows a recent arrest of a man on federal hate crime charges after he allegedly vandalized the Center for Islamic Life on Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus earlier this month. The man, 24-year-old Jacob Beacher, is accused of breaking into the center, damaging several religious artifacts, and stealing a Palestinian flag and charity box.
Back in December, Rutgers-New Brunswick suspended the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter after the university said it held disruptive demonstrations that violated the school’s code of conduct. The student group was reinstated in January but remains on probation.
School officials said in a statement that they investigate every claim of bias, intolerance and hate, and student safety is the top priority.
The civil complaint also cites incidents at the university’s law school in Newark.