Parents say Bellevue Islamic school vandalism was hate crime
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BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Parents at a Bellevue school fear their kids may have been the targets of a hate crime.
Those who dropped their kids off Medina Academy -- a private Islamic school -- were upset Monday by the graffiti left on a school wall over the weekend.
It was the second time in less than two months that vandals targeted the school, and parents say it's not so much the words that frighten them, but the intent of the graffiti.
"I feel this is a hate crime," said parent Faiza Sultan.
The graffiti, some of which is written in Arabic font, stretches the length of a second grade portable building. The message says, "It's rude to cover art." Parents say they recognize the tag from the last incident.
"The first one was, 'Freedom has been chained,'" said parent Zeina Askar.
School workers quickly covered the spray paint. Bellevue police say the wording alone doesn't make the vandalism a hate crime, but officers will continue to investigate and say it could become a hate crime if people feel threatened and singled out.
"It's written on an Islamic school," Askar said. "Any other locations could have been vandalized, but they chose this location."
The combination of vandalism, school shootings and post-9/11 death treats has the community on edge.
"I feel that my kids are not safe. (It's the) worst feeling any parents can get," Sultan said. "We feel the message is, 'You're not welcome here.'"
The school just opened in September, and the first incident prompted officials to install security cameras.
"This weekend we had just installed our security cameras, finally, and then this came up," said principal Robert Monde.
Even if the culprit isn't captured on camera, local moms insist they won't be chased away from from their school.
"We want to make sure this is not a threat to say, 'We're going to come after you,'" Askar said. "We don't want to be a target. I hope that's not a target sign right there."
Parents have alerted the FBI and the school is also seeking permission from the city of Bellevue to put a fence around the property.
Those who dropped their kids off Medina Academy -- a private Islamic school -- were upset Monday by the graffiti left on a school wall over the weekend.
It was the second time in less than two months that vandals targeted the school, and parents say it's not so much the words that frighten them, but the intent of the graffiti.
"I feel this is a hate crime," said parent Faiza Sultan.
The graffiti, some of which is written in Arabic font, stretches the length of a second grade portable building. The message says, "It's rude to cover art." Parents say they recognize the tag from the last incident.
"The first one was, 'Freedom has been chained,'" said parent Zeina Askar.
School workers quickly covered the spray paint. Bellevue police say the wording alone doesn't make the vandalism a hate crime, but officers will continue to investigate and say it could become a hate crime if people feel threatened and singled out.
"It's written on an Islamic school," Askar said. "Any other locations could have been vandalized, but they chose this location."
The combination of vandalism, school shootings and post-9/11 death treats has the community on edge.
"I feel that my kids are not safe. (It's the) worst feeling any parents can get," Sultan said. "We feel the message is, 'You're not welcome here.'"
The school just opened in September, and the first incident prompted officials to install security cameras.
"This weekend we had just installed our security cameras, finally, and then this came up," said principal Robert Monde.
Even if the culprit isn't captured on camera, local moms insist they won't be chased away from from their school.
"We want to make sure this is not a threat to say, 'We're going to come after you,'" Askar said. "We don't want to be a target. I hope that's not a target sign right there."
Parents have alerted the FBI and the school is also seeking permission from the city of Bellevue to put a fence around the property.
I thinks it's funny this story got moved fairly quick to make room for other news. Obviously, it's a joke.
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 "parents say it's not so much the words that frighten them, but the intent of the graffiti." This is not a hate crime. It's graffiti...In other words bored rich kids who are trying to be rebellious.  Faiza Sultan and Komo, you are idiot's for trying to propel this as a hate crime,gtfo.
That's the most Latin-looking Arabic writing I've ever seen. Â
Looks like typical graffiti to me. A blight everywhere.
Get over yourselves. Their main beef is that they can't behead the taggers and sell the DVDs online, in true religion-of-peace fashion.
@KOMO_Sapiens -- Ah, I see you are an intelligent, non bigoted, non-hate monger yourself....
 @FormerMarineSgt That's just PC crap. How come these folks aren't crying about 9/11 as a hate crime?
Absolutely. These people do have a reason to be annoyed--I would too if some moron with spray can messed up my building. However to claim that this rises to the level of a hate-crime is just a bunch of hyped-up PC crapola.
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On the other hand, that thing about beheading taggers sounds like it has merit! Would like to include lawyers, mischevious software engineers, Roseanne Barr-Arnold-Fatbuns and about 75% of my fellow freeway commuters in that group.
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Think we can make that happen?
It's not an Arabic font, and there's nothing that indicates hate crimes at all. It's just crappy graffiti, not even well done. Get over it.
This is not a hate crime... on another note to the guy with the spray paint can.. ...You suck at Art, you should drop out of school and just stay at home with your mom (dad probably already left) and get home schooled on collecting food stamps and welfare cause clearly that is all your good for! Sorry I usually encourage education but you seem so untalented,,,  Sowwwwy!!!
Flying airplanes into occupied buildings in the name of Alla - Hate crime.
Tagging buildings with spray paint and non threatening words - graffiti.
Sounds like the sequence of events are this:
1. Vandals write/draw on the wall.
2. It gets painted over.
3. The vandals write on the wall again, this time complaining about their previous art being painted over.
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So not a hate crime, just some kids who need to use their time more productively.
Note: It's also rude to write/draw on walls that don't belong to you.
OK, it's clear that the tag is a "normal" tag, it's not in "Arabic-style" writing and not a hate crime, but you got to give these parents a break: most have probably lived a fairly sheltered existence in Tony Town.
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Maybe someone should organize a field trip to any, I repeat ANY, neighborhood in Seattle for a compare and contrast lesson in tagging so they can prepare for the rest of the culture that comes with it (street dealing, crime, gang fights).
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Next, the school needs to paint the wall so it isn't such an attractive canvas for wanna-be artists. Drawing this much attention to the tags is just inviting more graffiti. Plant some sky pencil juniper every couple feet, or better yet, espalier some pyracantha along the wall. FIX your problem instead of complaining to the media.
Do these guys even know what a hate crime is? You think it's all about you? I'll tell you one thing, it's vandalism, and that's enough of a concern there since I completely can't stand it, but a hate crime? Good grief!
Bellevue resident says "I hope that's not a Target sign." They must hate me if i have to shop somewhere other than Macy's. Didn't you see how much they disliked Walmart being placed over on 148th.....
I do not believe this to be a hate crime since the Graffiti is not condemning the Muslim's in any way shape or form. Now had it contained a message specifically condemning the Muslims and attacking the Muslim faith, then it would be religious bigotry and a hate crime. Â
 @Timothy Berman Perhaps it is some form of harassment.  It seems more than just your common vandalism, since it happened twice in the same place.Â
@31F wow, my local park got tagged twice in the same spot, it was a victim of a hate crime!
 @31F I would agree that it may be some form of harassment. However, to call it a hate crime is stretching it. Now, if it were twice where some epitaph of hatred toward the members of the Islamic Faith (i.e., Muhammad is Gay and dead, or Muslims go to hell) that is a hate crime. Nothing in the statement that the picture shows as being a target against any particular member of ethnicity or religious faith. Was it done on the wall of a private school for Muslims? Yes. Is it disrespectful? Yes. Does it violate any established laws? Yes it does. But to make the stretch from vandalism and destruction of property to religious hate and a hate crime.Â
 @31F  @Timothy Berman It happening twice in once place doesn't, however, make it a hate crime; if it did, then half the property owners in Seattle would be hate crime victims.  How about, it happened in the same place twice because it is a BIG, BLANK wall (i.e., canvas)??
Written in an Arabic font?  Wouldn't it be ironic if they find out that one of the students was responsible?
 @UtterReality Exactly, that's was I was thinking.
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 @UtterReality Funny story, but when I lived in Morocco, I saw a lot of graffiti that had English slang in it. Â
There is no such thing as a hate crime...all crimes represent some element of hate, so why not just start making the punishments fit the crimes, rather than decide that certain segments of society is in some way a protected class. All people should be free from crime and hate, no matter what race, creed, color, religion or sexual orientation.Â
Time to whip ass !
This is considered a hate crime because the school is Islamic?. Its called Graffiti; The same worthless garbage art I receive in my mostly middle class neighborhood. As to this being done by Hannity and Beck followers? LOL. I seriously doubt the perpetrators even pay attention to the news, let alone them specifically.Â
oh boy. Some people need to get a life. Hate crime indeed. Looking for sympathy much?
you dont have to hate somebody to do wrong to somebody, if that were the case then every burglery would be a hate crime. you bafoons
A "hate Crime'? It's a big assed wall. A freakin' canvas for taggers! Look around Seattle, Every wall larger than 2' square is tagged up. I see worse messages left in the Mercer Tunnel. Sorry, doesn't seem like a crime of hate to me. It's a target of opportunity for a tagger.Â
Negative graffiti 2 times! the words "CHAINED" on the first and the second time there is a TARGET symbol!! on a Elementary school campus!??!? THIS IS a hate crime, and hate prank by some uneducated neighborhood looser!!Â
 @Seattle1984 "Looser" than what?
Police should probably question a few of the Hannity and Beck followers who make a habit of rearing their heads here when a Muslim (i.e. Obama) says or does anything.
 @BH Herring Right.  Don't you think that if this were a hate crime, there would be some sort of specific jargon? Or, is "MrStub" some sort of anti-Muslim slur of which I'm unaware?   It's a bunch of nondescript tagging.  That's all.  Ridiculous.
@BH Herring thank you for your hate, you pha-qing progresive
@1791 - Herring may have said it in a lame way, but you never, know - the hate mongering on that network and across the radical right might, just might have something to do with it....
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Indecipherable scribblings are a hate crime?
The real crime here is insinuating that these ugly, meaningless scribbles are "art."
Hey Elisa, how is this a hate crime?!! Is all tagging a hate crime now?
Really?! How do you get a hate crime out of non-sense tagging?! Talk about ignorant bigots.
I hate black spray painted (scribbles) messages with no meaning. Ok more to the the point i hate taggers.Â
I guess I don't understand the hate crime part. It is a crime to do the graffiti but big deal on what it say's. Probably the source is close to home in the first place.Â
 @Grumpa You might want to sharpen up on the reading comprehension.  It's not the first time this has happened.  The first message was a little more direct.