At Arizona State University, “Arrest Made After Quran Found Damaged in Hayden Library Interfaith Room”

From The State Press:

The ASU Police Department made an arrest Thursday evening following the investigation of damage to a Quran in the Interfaith Reflection Room at Hayden Library Wednesday.

ASU PD arrested Wesley Waggoner after Hayden Library staff reported him for causing additional damage to the building, according to an ASU press release. Waggoner was charged with criminal damage and possession of drug paraphernalia, and was found to have two warrants, the release said.

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Wid Alsabah, a junior studying biomedical engineering, said she found the Quran in the Hayden Library Interfaith Reflection Room around noon Wednesday, with some pages of the Quran ripped up and some burnt. In addition to the Quran, Alsabah said she found pages of a magazine and a prayer book ripped up.

A side of the Interfaith Reflection Room was damaged with holes through the drywall. Alsabah said the overhead light of the room was also broken. Alsabah notified staff at the Hayden Library front desk of the damages, who then contacted ASU PD.

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More From the from the Associated Press:

“There is no room or tolerance at ASU for this type of damaging behavior,” ASU Police Chief Michael Thompson said in a statement.

Sasha Uddin, director of education for the ASU Muslim Students Association, said members of the group were heartened by the response from administrators and campus police. She said police took the incident seriously and made a quick arrest, pledged to handle the damaged Quran — which was taken as evidence — respectfully and said they would continue discussions about the safety of Muslims on campus.

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