According to a report in the New York Times, the rate of attacks in the United States against Muslims has tripled since the Paris bombings on November 13. Although this is nowhere near the levels that were seen after 9/11, it’s still shocking that innocent Americans are being targeted out of hate. The San Bernardino shootings added to the situation, as even more incidents occurred following that tragedy.
Examples of Attacks on Muslims
The FBI reports about 12 hate crime incidents per month against Muslims. Since November, that figure has increased to about 38 per month. Many of these have been against mosques. At the Islamic Center of Palm Beach, windows were broken and furniture was overturned inside the building. A New Jersey mosque received hate mail. At the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society in Philadelphia, someone threw a pig’s head at the building. In Grand Forks, North Dakota, a man set fire to a Somali restaurant. In Irving, Texas, there was an armed protest outside of the mosque. Unfortunately, these are just a fraction of the crimes against Islamic property in the United States.
People are targeted as well. In Pittsburgh, a cab driver was shot by a rider who demanded to know where the driver was from. Incidentally, the driver was from Morocco. In Florida, a woman wearing a hijab was cut off by another driver who then threw rocks at her car. At a park in Alameda County, California, a group of Muslims were praying when a woman threw hot coffee at them. Again, these are just a small sample of the incidents against Muslims. Age or gender doesn’t matter. Children and adults, men and women are being attacked, for simply being Muslim. One incident in the Bronx involved a sixth-grade girl wearing a hijab. Three boys attacked her and attempted to take off her hijab.
Sikhs Are Being Targeted
What’s worse is that someone only has to be perceived as Muslim to be attacked. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, a convenience store clerk was shot. The attacker called the man a terrorist before putting the gun in the clerk’s mouth and pulling the trigger. The clerk was Sikh, not Muslim. A Sikh temple was vandalized in Buena Park, California. It was covered in graffiti attacking Islam. In Fresno, a 68-year-old man was attacked and run over by a car. The attackers broke his collarbone.
What Can Be Done?
These incidents are not just mistaken identity. It’s gone way beyond that. The answer to Islamophobia isn’t in hurting innocent people or vandalizing property that may or may not be associated with ISIL. Private citizens are acting like judge, jury, and executioner, which is wrong. Although the Sikhs could certainly blame the Muslim community, the answer doesn’t lie in blame.
It’s important to show support for the victims. Apathy may be interpreted as acceptance, which means that every decent person must take action. Here are some actions you can take when hate comes to your community:
- Speak up and educate people where you can.
- Get united with others who will stand up to hate groups.
- Take a stand in your community. Clean up and repair vandalized property. Talk to groups about hate crimes.
- Let victims know that they have support. A simple note letting them know they aren’t alone goes a long way.
- Encourage victims of a hate crime to report it to police.
Be creative in how you can take a stand against hate and violence. A good documentary to watch is “Not in Our Town.” In it, citizens in Billings, Montana, took a stand against the white supremacists who were tearing their town apart. It’s inspiring and will provide a starting point for your own fight against hate crimes.