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Jewish and Muslim communities in the US, on alert since the start of the Israel-Hamas war

2023-10-19 19:13:56Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Jewish and Muslim communities in the US, on alert since the start of the
Pro-Palestine students protest in support of the Palestinians at Columbia University in New York City

Muslim and Jewish communities in the U.S. are on high alert, due to concerns about possible flare-ups or attacks related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. As VOA correspondent Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports, members of these communities and others are calling for an easing of tensions.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Muslim and Jewish communities in the US have been on high alert as they fear they could be targeted.

One of the latest victims of a crime believed to be motivated by hate was a 6-year-old Muslim boy who was stabbed to death in Illinois last week.

President Joe Biden strongly condemned his killing and directed the administration to prioritize preventing the growing threats.

Fadwa Hassan was born in the US and has Palestinian relatives in the West Bank. She is concerned not only about them, but also about the rising tensions here in the United States.

"We now worry about every woman who wears a hijab, or about those who come to our mosque to pray. We have always been concerned about the possibility of violence."

Linda Shapiro says fear and anxiety have increased among members of her Jewish community, while at her synagogue in Virginia, security measures have been tightened.

"We must not use the language of blame or hate. We have to keep reminding ourselves and everyone else that Hamas is responsible," she says.

The latest FBI statistics show that hate crimes against Jews in the US have intensified in recent years, increasing by 36 percent last year alone. Anti-Muslim incidents have remained largely flat at around 200 per year.

But analysts warn that the numbers usually rise when conflicts erupt in other countries.

"We know from past experience that when we have American casualties from a foreign conflict, or if there's conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, like hate crimes against Muslims, hate crimes against Jews go up significantly," says criminologist Brian Levin.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told VOA that since the start of the war, it has received a wave of reports of individuals being targeted.

But the Council's Director of Research and Advocacy, Corey Saylor, says organizations like his can do little more than condemn the violence.

"For decades we have talked about dialogue, defending the idea that negotiations will bring about a peaceful solution."

Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish anti-hate organization in the US, notes that there are different schools of thought among the US Jewish community.

“These conflicts that happen abroad cause pain and strong emotions in our communities here. It must be understood that an entire religious or ethnic community cannot be held responsible for the actions of a government, or a war that is happening abroad," says Rachel Sass of this organization.

In cases of hate crimes or violent incidents, authorities encourage victims to report them immediately to local police or non-governmental organizations./ VOA


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