Muslim students at the University of South Florida joined community and religious leaders Friday to speak out after being mocked and harassed by content creators during a morning prayer.
According to the USF Oracle, a group of men surrounded, taunted, and provoked Muslim students during dawn prayer on Nov. 18 while livestreaming it to YouTube.
Abu Tahir was leading the morning prayer when the incident happened.
He became emotional as he described watching the video of the incident the next day.
“I had to relive—I had to relive the whole thing again. Hearing every voice, every insult, every atrocious claim that they made against our religion. For what? Something that our constitution promises us we have the complete right to do,” Tahir said.
Malak Albustami is the president of USF’s Muslim Student Association and was present during the incident.
“We gathered for something sacred and peaceful, and instead, we were met with hate meant to intimidate us and tell us we do not belong. Well, let me be clear. We do belong here, and we will not let fear define us,” Albustami said.
The livestream, posted by Warriors for Christ, shows men using anti-Muslim slurs and waving bacon at students praying.
Joe Maurer is the Chief Deputy at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
“It is your First Amendment right to speak to anybody. But if you are creating a hostile environment where people feel unsafe, then that is not your First Amendment right,” Maurer said.
USF has acknowledged the incident and announced an investigation.
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This article appears in Nov. 20 – 26, 2025.