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PORTLAND, Ore. – Officials at Portland Public Schools said Tuesday morning an anti-Muslim flyer is not circulating through some of its schools, despite a PPS alert to the contrary released Monday.
The flyer declares Tuesday, April 3, as “Punish a Muslim Day,” according to a message on the district’s website. The flyer apparently originated in the United Kingdom, PPS said.
The school district is not aware of any specific threat associated with the flyer.
“We find this, and other offensive language in the flier, to be deplorable and directly against our values as a district that has no place for discrimination or harassment against our students, families and employees,” said PPS in the Monday statement.
PPS alerted Portland police and the district’s security staff.
Portland police said the bureau was aware of the fliers in the community, and officers will provide extra patrols near Islamic houses of worship and community centers.
At the Muslim Educational Trust in Tigard, it was business as usual. A woman who works there shared her personal view of the flier and whoever put it out.
"Weak people want to spread it through us, we want to stop it. And the best way: not to talk about it, because this is their goal, they want to scare us," said Wafa Subhi, who added, "I feel bad for them, they are sick people; God help them to be guided to the right path."
"There is no information to suggest the information contained in the leaflet will be carried out by any organized group in Portland," the police bureau said in a news release.
Based on new information Tuesday morning police clarified that the flier was circulating in the community online, and that it knew of no hard copies being posted or delivered to any groups or individuals.
On Tuesday morning, PPS issued the following correction:
After checking back with principals and Portland Police, we want to correct a PPS communication from Monday which said the fliers had been received by families at some Portland Public Schools. The one lead turned out to be an alert to Muslim families showing the flier. It was reported to a principal by a student saying the family had received the flier at home, but we've since learned that the alert was sent by the Islamic Center of Portland. No one has been targeted to receive the flier, which has only shown up online and is believed to have originated in the U.K.