DETROIT, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Leaders of the Arab-American community Thursday demanded an apology from Wayne State University officials over an opinion piece that appeared in the school newspaper headlined "Islam sucks."
The piece ran Tuesday in the South End, the campus daily, and said Islam "presents a danger to the welfare of many due to its influence."
"Islam subjugates hundreds of millions of women ... and other religions where it's the law of the land," the editorial said, adding that the secular school system should "deprogram" Muslim immigrants and "help them adopt more productive values."
Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, called the item "absolutely appalling" and full of inaccuracies. He said he fears it may lead to hate crimes against Muslim students.
The column "is full of hatred," Hamad said in a letter to Wayne State President Irvin Reid. "I have no problem with the writer not being a fan of Islam or seeing a problem with our religion. That's something he's entitled to. But that does not give him the right to demean our religion."
The editorial was written by Joe Fisher. Newspaper editor Jason Clancy said the paper has received a few complaints.
"As a student newspaper, we welcome anything from students, faculty or staff," Clancy told the Detroit Free Press. "We welcome their ideas, but it doesn't necessarily mean they represent the newspaper."
Ismael Ahmed, executive director of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, said he was outraged by the column but not surprised.
"There's $1 million worth of negative images out there. They are damaging and they hurt people," he told the Detroit News.
Charles Brown, vice president for student development and campus life, said university officials were saddened by the opinion piece but added students have the right to express their views.
"This is a red eye for Wayne," Brown told the News. "The article is not a reflection of what the majority of our faculty feels toward Arab-Americans. We believe strongly in diversity."
