Muslim Groups File Discrimination Complaint Against Rutgers

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) filed a Title VI federal complaint against Rutgers University this week, for what they allege is "ongoing anti-Palestinian bigotry at Rutgers Newark law school and the New Brunswick campus since October 2023."

You can read the complaint here.

With the complaint, CAIR is asking the U.S. Department of Education to investigate Muslim students' allegations of harassment at Rutgers and its law school.

The Arab group says Rutgers administration has shown "a lack of appropriate urgency concerning Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students’ physical safety and overall well-being on campus."

This comes after a Central Jersey young man was charged with breaking into the Rutgers Islamic student center on April 10, and causing $40,000 in vandalism, including smashing TVs, verses from the Quran and stealing their Palestinian flag. Jacob Beacher, 24, of North Plainfield, was charged with a federal hate crime.

Federal authorities have still not said why Beacher allegedly vandalized the Muslim center.

No pro-Gaza tent camps at Rutgers — yet

While pro-Palestine student tent camps have been popping up at American college campuses — there are camps at Columbia, Harvard, University of Southern California, Swarthmore and now Princeton — there are currently no plans for a Gaza solidarity tent camp at Rutgers, said Rutgers spokeswoman Dory Devlin Thursday.

The Rutgers chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) did not immediately respond Thursday when Patch asked if they were planning to erect a tent camp at Rutgers. So far, the group has nothing posted about setting up a camp on their Instagram or Twitter accounts, or their website.

"There are no ongoing protests or encampments at Rutgers," said Devlin.

Just down the road, students set up a pro-Gaza tent camp at Princeton University Thursday morning. Princeton University Police arrested two students at 7 a.m. Thursday while they were setting up tents. According to the student protesters, those two students were charged with defiant trespassing.

That tent camp is currently set up in McCosh courtyard on the Princeton campus.

SJP has held regular pro-Palestine protests on the Rutgers campus since Hamas' invasion of Israel on Oct. 7. It's the same student group that was suspended by Rutgers in December, with the school saying they caused multiple disruptions on campus, and threatened the safety of other students. Rutgers allowed them back on campus a few months later.

Last week, students did hold a multi-day event called "tent state" that began over 20 years ago at Rutgers, said Devlin. It includes teach-ins, speakers, performances, film screenings and other events. She said students at that event "make their voices heard on a variety of subjects," and not just Israel-Palestine.

"The university takes seriously every claim of bias, intolerance and hate," said Devlin in response to CAIR's federal complaint. "Rutgers has policies in place for reporting and investigating bias incidents. When bias incidents are reported, we investigate them fully and take appropriate action."

On this topic: NJ Man, 24, Charged With Hate Crime In Rutgers Muslim Center Vandalism (April 22)

Rutgers Suspends Students For Justice In Palestine Group (Dec. 2023)