A license plate seen as offensive to Muslims that was spotted on a vehicle in St. Cloud, Minnesota, has prompted the state's governor to start a review of license-plate issuing procedures.
The license plate that read "FMUSLMS" was brought to the attention of Haji Yusuf, a Somali-American Muslim who is the cofounder and community director of #UniteCloud, an organization established last year to address rising anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment in St. Cloud.
Yusuf posted the photo on his Facebook page on Saturday, where it was shared by more than 600 people, some of whom contacted the state government and demanded action, he said. By Monday, Minnesota's Department of Public Safety said it was in the process of revoking the plates, and Gov. Mark Dayton had issued a statement saying he was ordering a review of procedures to ensure something like this never happens again.
"I am appalled that this license plate was issued by the state of Minnesota," Dayton said in the statement. "It is offensive, and the person who requested it should be ashamed. That prejudice has no place in Minnesota."
