Three men yelled racial slurs and flipped off a man at the Pullman Islamic Center on Nov. 22, the most recent reported incident of hate crime in the Pullman area.

According to Pullman Police, a groundskeeper was cleaning the plaque of the mosque around 9 a.m. when the three suspects drove by in a blue Sedan and harassed the man.

Police provided extra patrol for the mosque but were unable to find any suspects.

Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said though there have been no recent acts of harassment to the mosque, it has been a target in previous years for similar incidents.

Member of the Pullman Muslim community and WSU student Faraj Aljarih said the mosque received a threat to burn down the mosque last year. He said there were also threats posted on social media threatening to harm members of the Palouse Muslim community and damage their property.

FBI and Pullman Police immediately organized patrols around the mosque as well as Pullman Police posting on their social media to call them with any related suspicious activity.

Aljarih said they received a lot of support from the Pullman community but are still weary of possible hate crimes occurring due to the view some people have of them.

“These days, we are hearing about attacks on individuals, especially women, in different parts of the country, where individuals attack (Muslims), whether by forcefully removing their headscarf or by swearing at them and using racist and hate words,” he said. “We assume that today’s incident is part of the hate crimes wave against minorities in the whole country, especially Muslims.”

Aljarih said a lot of these individuals committing hate crimes are influenced by what some mainstream media say about Muslims. He also said that the increased claims expressed by some politicians in the recent presidential election toward Hispanics, Muslims, and blacks have played a role in the increase of hate speech in the country.

However, Aljarih said that the Muslim community in Pullman, established in the 1970s, does not reflect these views.

“From the first day they became part of the great community of the Palouse, Muslims maintained very friendly relations with all residents, individuals and organizations,” he said.

He said they have cooperated with local parties for activities like charities and fundraising campaigns. Public figures such as Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson and the heads of police and fire departments often join the Muslim community for Islamic events, he said.

Aljarih said though they hope there will be no more incidents of hate crime among all minority groups, he thinks the situation will only improve if the community comes together by spreading awareness and educating themselves about Islam and the Muslim community.

“Islam preaches peace, not violence,” he said. “Islam is so much more than it has been recently represented in the mainstream media.”

The Pullman Islamic Center has organized an open house event on Saturday in the mosque from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., where everyone is welcome to visit the mosque, enjoy free snacks and learn about Islam and the Muslim culture.