80% of hate crimes motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment: SAALT.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: South Asians, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Middle Eastern, and Arab communities face an increasingly hostile climate in the United States, says a new report released by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT).
“Thirteen years after the tragic events of 9/11, we saw consistently high numbers of hate violence incidents and a surge in xenophobic political rhetoric aimed at our communities, portraying them as un-American, unwelcome, and disloyal,” said Suman Raghunathan, Executive Director of SAALT, releasing the report here, said a press release.
Disturbingly, over 80% of documented hate violence incidents were motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment. Similarly, an overwhelming majority—-over 90%—-of xenophobic political comments were characterized by anti-Muslim bias, said the report.
“Community members are being sent a message that we are unwelcome even in our most sacred spaces-a message that stands contrary to our nation’s core values,” said Raghunathan.
The report, titled, ‘Under Suspicion, Under Attack’ documents over 150 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic rhetoric by political figures and government officials that occurred nationwide from January 2011 through April 2014.
The analysis found a 40% annual average increase in xenophobic political comments since SAALT’s last analysis, released in 2010. While numerous hate violence incidents frequently go unreported, ‘Under Suspicion, Under Attack’ tracked nearly 80 incidents in communities nationwide, with an overwhelming share animated by anti-Muslim sentiment. Hate violence ‘hot spots’ included the New York City/New Jersey metropolitan area; Chicago and its outlying suburbs; and Southern and Northern California.
“Our communities have endured a sustained and even escalating backlash after 9/11, crystallized by hate violence. I myself was the victim of a hate violence attack just last week near my office in Brooklyn, NY. Enough is enough. That’s why we started the Take on Hate Campaign,” said Linda Sarsour, Senior Strategist for the Take on Hate Campaign and Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York, in a statement.
“This report not only highlights the problems facing our communities, it points to ‘better practices’ as models for coalition-building and organizing,” said Fahd Ahmed, the Acting Director of DRUM – South Asian Organizing Center, in a statement. “For example, New York City groups united across lines of race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion to pass the Community Safety Act in 2013. We now have a framework to hold the NYPD accountable for their discriminatory practices, which sow distrust of law enforcement and enshrine profiling. We can do better, and we must.”
6 Comments
if you don’t like america then get the fuck out. nobody is forcing them to be here. they’ll never change anything. their religion is full of hate and bigotry and pedophiles. fuck um. i see one on my property i’ll put some buckshot into their ass.
if you don’t like america then get the fuck out. nobody is forcing them to be here. they’ll never change anything. their religion is full of hate and bigotry and pedophiles. fuck um. i see one on my property i’ll put some buckshot into their ass.
It’s only in the red states where hatred and intolerance for people of other cultures is so pervasive. States like Alabama or Mississippi, which have laws that make same sex marriages illegal have been resistant to change and openness for the longest time.
You might ask, what does same sex marriage have to do with hating Muslims? It’s the blue states like WA, CA, NY, etc. that have embraced same sex relationships, openness, and tolerance for people of all races, colors, and beliefs.
Say what you will about CA allowing Mexicans to suck up public resources and spending. People in CA are far more understanding and tolerant of people who have different opinions, thoughts, and views. In fact, San Francisco has been the center of the LGBT movement and is largely responsible for LGBT’s rights and political successes today.
A Muslim can take a stand and be respected in Seattle. Not so much in the south where racial segregation and intolerance continue to this day.
It’s only in the red states where hatred and intolerance for people of other cultures is so pervasive. States like Alabama or Mississippi, which have laws that make same sex marriages illegal have been resistant to change and openness for the longest time.
You might ask, what does same sex marriage have to do with hating Muslims? It’s the blue states like WA, CA, NY, etc. that have embraced same sex relationships, openness, and tolerance for people of all races, colors, and beliefs.
Say what you will about CA allowing Mexicans to suck up public resources and spending. People in CA are far more understanding and tolerant of people who have different opinions, thoughts, and views. In fact, San Francisco has been the center of the LGBT movement and is largely responsible for LGBT’s rights and political successes today.
A Muslim can take a stand and be respected in Seattle. Not so much in the south where racial segregation and intolerance continue to this day.
I’m in !!!! Screw those Islamofascist falafel eatin’ Koran Thumping camel screwing Sand Niggers. Take their Women and Food and burn the Men.
Kind of a strong word , “hatred”, isn’t it? Most Americans dislike the intolerance demonstrated by extreme Islamic’s and how many women are treated as chattle and non-persons by Sharia Law. As for one’s religion, most people here could care less if you worship a stature, goat, dog, god, wooden cross, or a chicken. To each his/her own, just don’t try forcing your beliefs on anyone else.