An Islamophobic license plate in Minnesota has been revoked following an outcry at its approval. The controversial personalized plate contained seven characters, apparently the name of one of the applicant’s bands: FMUSLMS.
The application stated that the applicants three choices—FMUSLMS, PETALOL and 8LGTHG—were names of bands he is a member of.
However this argument did not convince Ibrahim Hooper, national spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who claimed the incident was, “A symptom of the unfortunate mainstreaming of Islamophobia in our society.”
“In an overall atmosphere in which anti-Muslim bigotry is rising, it’s somehow seen as, ‘This is OK for me to do,'” Hooper told the St. Cloud Times, a local media outlet.
Minnesota authorities apologized for approving the request, stating that “The Driver and Vehicle Services Division is reviewing its process for approving personalized license plates today and will immediately provide additional review and oversight of applications.”
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton said that he was “appalled that this license plate was issued by the State of Minnesota. It is offensive, and the person who requested it should be ashamed. That prejudice has no place in Minnesota.”
