A Stanford University student is speaking out after a hit-and-run that sent him to the hospital is being investigated as a hate crime. The suspected hate crime marks the latest happening amid growing tensions on college campuses as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.
According to a public safety statement from the university, the victim, Abdulwahab Omira, who is Arab Muslim, said he was walking to class on Friday afternoon, Nov. 3, when a white man driving a Toyota 4runner made eye contact with the student, sped up and hit him.
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“The driver is reported to have made eye contact with the victim, accelerated and struck the victim, and then driven away while shouting “f*** you and your people” out the lowered window of the vehicle,” the release said.
Omira told authorities he got a look at the man who hit him looked to be in his mid 20s with dirty-blond hair and a short beard.
University police said Omira’s injuries were not life-threatening, and California Highway Patrol is now investigating the incident as a hate crime.
From his hospital room over the weekend, the Stanford student released a statement, denouncing hate.
“…grappling with a reality I had never imagined, I reflect on the importance of spreading love, kindness, and compassion in a world that seems to be steadily succumbing to hatred and prejudice. This ordeal has solidified my resolve to advocate for love, understanding, and inclusivity,” Omira said.
Omira called out Stanford for its slow response to the situation. The university said it issued a notice as soon as it had enough details from the police.
Stanford’s independent newspaper, The Stanford Review, published a piece Monday, Nov. 6, calling Omira’s account “dubious.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area also released a statement condemning hate and calling on Stanford officials to address student safety.
“This disturbing apparent hate crime at Stanford University underscores the urgent need to address the growing Islamophobia and hatred that have been plaguing our communities, and here specifically putting our students in grave danger,” The release read. “The Arab and Muslim students have repeatedly sought assistance from the University in the last several weeks and remain concerned about the inadequate response that has left them vulnerable.”
The hit-and-run comes days after a student at Cornell University was arrested on federal charges after prosecutors say he “posted threatening messages to the Cornell section of an online discussion site, including posts calling for the deaths of Jewish people and a post that said “gonna shoot up 104 west.”
Prosecutors in the Cornell case say if convicted, the offense carries a maximum of five years in prison with a $250,000 fine, along with three years of supervised release.
