Dear SIPA Community,

A flyer that circulated around the United Kingdom recently has proclaimed Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018 to be “Punish a Muslim Day." The flyer, which was widely shared via social media, encourages individuals to torment and commit hate crimes against Muslims today specifically for “points." These hate crimes range from pulling off a woman's headscarf to throwing acid in a Muslim’s face. There have been reports of this flyer being circulated throughout NYC and the Tri-State area.

Today is a crucial day to consider what it means to be an ally. Though these crimes represent only a fraction of the biases, discrimination, and physical violence against Muslims, and especially women in hijab, face on a daily basis worldwide, we call upon the SIPA community to stand as allies against acts of hatred today and every day. Whether the aggression takes place on the micro or macro level, as members of a diverse and collective community we cannot be bystanders in the face of hatred and merely hope that someone else will “do the right thing."

We urge you, the collective SIPA community, to reflect and stand together against hate. There are many ways to get involved and be a proper ally to your fellow students in situations such as these. Whether you identify as Muslim or not, acts of hate fueled by such bigotry affect us all.

As we enter a busy time of the semester when students will be spending long hours on campus, we encourage members of our community to be cognizant. Walk in pairs or groups as you leave campus in the evenings or travel from building to building after hours, and most importantly, report any sort of hate crimes or discrimination to proper channels through Columbia University's Public Safety and throughout the greater New York City area.

Please feel free to reach out to the leadership of any of the co-signed organizations below if you ever feel unsafe or if you are looking for ways to become an ally.

Signed in Solidarity,

Students of the SIPA Community

Supported by:
SIPA Students Association
SIPA Students Of Color
SIPA Debate & Diplomacy
SIPA Women in Leadership
Columbia Impact Investing Initiative | CI3
Columbia SIPA Veterans Association
Conflict Resolution Working Group
Digital Cyber Group
Education Collaborative
Gender Policy Working Group
Latin American Student Association
Migration Working Group
Monitoring and Evaluation Student Society
The Morningside Post
Palestine Working Group
Progressive Security Working Group
RISE | The Working Group on Race, Inequality, Solidarity and Economics
Spectrum
Technology and Innovation Student Association
Women in Peace and Security