Police at the University of Texas at Dallas say they're searching for the person who dumped several copies of the Quran in campus toilets.
They call the incident "shocking" and "unusual."
A student recently discovered the books inside a bathroom at the university's Student Union building. After snapping some pictures to document the apparent anti-Muslim act, he immediately reported it to campus security, which got police involved.
UT Dallas junior Mohammad Syed, a Muslim, said he didn't believe the news until he saw photos published in the student newspaper.
"It's definitely saddening and a little disturbing as well," said Syed, who is the President of the UT Dallas Muslim Student Association. "It's something that we do not expect to happen, especially at this campus."
Syed said he's always known UT Dallas as a diverse and inclusive place, which was the one of the things that drew him to pursue a degree in neuroscience there.
"UT Dallas is a very welcoming environment," he said. "And I have nothing but good things to say about it."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
And that won't change despite this incident.
"You know, while there is a little voice of hate, there is an overwhelming voice of love and support [here] and we definitely appreciate that," said Syed. "And I'm very happy to say I'm a student, a Comet, over here at UTD."
UT Dallas Police say they are reviewing surveillance video from inside the Student Union building.
They acknowledge they haven't found "anything out of the ordinary" for now, but say they're taking this matter seriously and will continue to investigate.
