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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating an incident at American University in which a Palestinian employee received a death threat slipped under the door of his office, according to News4, NBC’s Washington, D.C., affiliate.
Wassim Aburakia-Einhorn, an IT specialist who attended American as a student, found a note in his campus office that read, “Go back where you came from. You might get lucky with a missile, and meet your Allah sooner! Death to all Palestinians!”
AU president Sylvia Burwell strongly condemned the incident, writing in a message to the community, “This vile and dehumanizing act targeting our Palestinian community is reprehensible and will not be tolerated … No act of hate will deter us from supporting community members who are not only feeling the pain and weight of traumatic global events, but also the vulnerability of being subject to hateful acts in our own community.”
Her statement also referenced antisemitic messages painted earlier this month on the walls of a dorm.
“The seriousness and threatening nature of both this incident and the antisemitic graffiti found last week have led us to engage with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to collaborate on both investigations. Anyone found responsible for these acts will be subject to relevant laws, university policies, and appropriate disciplinary actions.”
The message concluded, “Hate—antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, or any other form of discrimination or exclusion—will not prevail at American University. The work of so many to support and safeguard our community will make us stronger, as we reject and expunge the ugly behavior we have witnessed in these acts. That work moves forward with each of us naming hate, condemning it, being inclusive rather than divisive, and supporting our fellow community members.”
