BLOOMFIELD
HILLS – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Michigan (ADC-MI) is
seeking a “hate crime probe” against a group of students at the
Cranbrook Schools, who allegedly bullied and physically confronted a Muslim student.

Cranbrook
is a private boarding school in Bloomfield Hills.

The
female student who was bullied on campus is a senior and will be graduating this
week.

During
a press conference at the ADC-MI office in Dearborn on Thursday, June 9,
Director Fatina Abdrabboh said the student contacted the organization after she
was cornered by a group of young men during two separate incidents.

The
student and her mother were subjected to insults, including being called “ISIS”,
“rag head” and “terrorist.”

Abdrabboh
spoke on behalf of the student and her mother, who wished to conceal their
identities from the media.

She
added that the group of young men verbally harassed the mother and screamed
racial epithets at her while they warned her to “go back to your country or we
will blow your a## up” while the student’s family was visiting the girl on
campus.

ADC-MI
believes the events were captured on surveillance video.

The
group also said that later the same day, five young men aggressively pushed the
young victim in an attempt to “forcefully restrain her” while she was
jogging on the campus grounds.

The
victim and her family, along with the ADC-MI, is demanding Cranbrook and local
police look into the incidents, adding that the private early childhood- 12th
grade school hasn’t taken the concerns seriously.

“Cranbrook’s
dismissal of the victim’s claims and its refusal to send out a campus-wide
notification puts her, and the general student body, at risk of verbal and
physical harassment,” Abdrabboh said.

In
an interview with The AANews, the student said she was shaken after her encounter
with a group of young men on a jogging trail.

“I
stayed in the woods after the incident because I was really shocked,” she said.
“I went back to the dorm and avoided contact with everybody.”

The
student said she ultimately decided to report the altercation because she
wanted the campus to take active measures in the future to make it a safe
environment for incoming students.

“I
know this isn’t about me, anymore,” she added. “It’s about the picture at large
and the future students who come to Cranbrook. They need to know my story in
order to make it safer at the school.”

Abdrabboh
noted that Cranbrook has a prestige reputation and said she’s disheartened that
an incident like this would occur on campus.

“This
student should never have been in this kind of situation,” she said. “Cranbrook
is a prestigious academy of learning, which houses students from all over the world.
The school has a responsibility to provide a safe environment for children
entrusted in their care.”

Cranbrook
dismissed the allegations in a press release issued to the media:

“We are surprised and disappointed to
hear these inflammatory allegations that are inconsistent with the ongoing
police and school investigation,” the press release read.  “Cranbrook Schools is a diverse community,
enrolling students from 22 countries and from every walk of life. We have long
celebrated the value of diversity in all of its forms and absolutely do not
tolerate acts of harassment or discrimination. In order to preserve the
integrity of the ongoing investigation, we can make no further comment at this
time.”

The student said she was disappointed
with the campus’ response to the incidents.

She reported it to the administration more
than two weeks ago. However, school officials did not address the matter with
students and parents.

“I
am actually very upset,” the girl said, Thursday. “They are acting like this is
the first time they’ve heard about it. They sent a police report to the
department today and this happened two weeks ago. We asked them to alert
students and families and they are just now sending it out because the media
got wind of it.”

Abdrabboh said Cranbrook officials
should not be dismissing the claims during a period when Islamophobia is on the
rise.

“This
case is a clear example of increasing Islamophobia,” she said. “Muslim women
are in an especially vulnerable position and should be treated equally,
regardless of their religion or race. Hate crimes like this should never be
tolerated in a free country.”