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A call by the student Republican Club at San Diego State University for the Muslim Student Association to denounce the Barcelona terrorist attack triggered a strong backlash including at least one physical threat, according to the GOP student leader.

The Muslim Student Association called it a distasteful letter and thanked people for supporting the group after it was posted.

In the Aug. 17 letter, posted on the organizations Facebook page the day an ISIS terrorist attack in Barcelona left 15 dead, College Republicans of SDSU President Brandon Jones offered condolences to those affected by the attack and wrote that such acts must be disavowed by Muslim leaders on our campus and in our community.

The letter then quoted the Muslim Student Associations mission statement of being dedicated to creating a sense of community and inclusive environment for all students on campus.

Unfortunately, until radical Islamic terrorism is disavowed by the Muslim Student Organization at SDSU, we can not move forward in creating an inclusive environment for all students on campus, Jones wrote.

The letter concluded by asking the president of the organization and its executive officers to publicly condemn the act or resign.

Members of the Muslim Student Association could not be reached, but the organization did refer to the letter on its Facebook page.

The Muslim Student Association of SDSU would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who have expressed their support for us in the past few days, read a message posted Sunday. We have received numerous amounts of positive messages and comments regarding the distasteful letter that was sent to us. Your kind words and willingness to stand against injustice has showed our members and Muslim students from other universities around the country that we are not alone.

The post was followed by a lengthy back and forth among comments, including from Breitbart contributor Ariana Rowlands, who repeatedly asked for the Muslim Student Association to respond to Jones request to condemn the attack. Others wrote that the group should not have to respond.

It blew up like nothing Ive ever seen before, Jones said.

The College Republicans Facebook page showed the original post had more than 230,000 views and 500 responses, mostly against the letter.

It's hard to tell whether you're just trolling Muslim students because you think this type of bullying is fun & edgy, or whether you seriously believe your fellow Muslim students might be supporters of terrorism, one person wrote. The former possibility puts you beneath contempt, while the latter highlights how embarrassingly ignorant you are, so I'm not sure which you'd prefer.

Jones said the letter was written following a telephone board meeting with other College Republican board members, who endorsed it. He put his own phone number on the letter, and said he received one threatening text.

It said, I hope you rot in hell, Jones said. Were coming for you this week, you vile piece of a human being. Watch your back every step you take. SDSU campus will be the war zone against you and inhumane rats.

An anonymous e-mail to the organization also asked Jones to resign from his position and when convenient, kill yourself, he said.

Despite the controversy, Jones said he does not regret posting the letter, which he saw as a reasonable request.

In our opinion, its real simple, he said. There was an act of violence, much like the one that happened in Charlottesville, and we were making a simple request in calling them to join us in condemning it.

Jones was referring to a clash in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month between members of White nationalist and counter-protesters. A counter-protester was killed in the unrest.

Jones said the College Republicans issued a statement condemning the violence and actions of white nationalists at the rally immediately after the incident.

There are nearly 9,200 homeless people in San Diego County. Between 2016 and 2017, downtown San Diego experienced the single largest increase in homeless individuals in the region.

There are nearly 9,200 homeless people in San Diego County. Between 2016 and 2017, downtown San Diego experienced the single largest increase in homeless individuals in the region.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

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SDSU Republican letter to Muslims gets harsh backlash - The San Diego Union-Tribune