WASHINGTON 鈥� A couple of dozen protesters gathered outside Shaw Library in聽protest of what they called聽a rise of Islamophobia, .
鈥淚t was a blatant act of discrimination and abuse of power on the part of this police officer,鈥� says Jessica Raven, who was in the library when the聽incident unfolded. 鈥淎nd now we need the library to do more than apologize, do more than just discipline a single officer, and make changes to address Islamophobia.鈥�
Raven is the executive director of Collective Action for Safe Spaces, which an organization that speaks out against harassment.
She says the D.C. library system is minimizing what happened by calling it an 鈥渋solated incident,鈥� adding that she wants to see more public institutions make an effort to combat Islamophobia head-on and make Muslims feel more welcome.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 come back to the library,鈥� Raven says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 upsetting. I can鈥檛. I just don鈥檛 feel comfortable going back into the library that I come to almost every single day with my toddler. 聽It鈥檚 not like I鈥檓 boycotting it or asking other people to boycott it. I鈥檓 just unsettled by what I saw.鈥�
The organizers of the rally say they hope to raise the issue during a D.C. Council budget hearing April 13 that focuses on the library.
Carole Mu鈥檓in, an African-American Muslim woman who lives in Shaw, says those who live in fear are taking the wrong approach to things.
鈥淪top that fear talk. Know your neighbor.聽 Speak to your neighbor,鈥� Mu鈥檓in says.
She says living fearlessly is how Shaw was made safer from drug dealers and drug violence, and that those gathered need to stand up and not let others intimidate them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 terrible what happened. I know it is,鈥� Mu鈥檓in says.聽 鈥淏ut we can do something about it. We are not helpless.鈥�
