On October 18, the FBI issued a statement warning of threats in the U.S. related to the war in Palestine:
“As the conflict continues, the FBI has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions. We take all potential threats seriously…To help keep our communities safe, we are talking with leaders of all faiths, including Jewish and Muslim leaders.”
The unfortunate tendency of ill-intended people to equate and group together the actions of a very few to an entire group results in hate crimes against Muslims. This and other forms of Islamophobia have lasting effects upon the victims and their families as well as their communities.
In Michigan, online threats have been made against the Arab and Muslim populations living in Dearborn with one suspect having been arrested. This threat has resulted in the increase of law enforcement presence around congregational places within Dearborn such as mosques and schools.
With the increasingly alarming occurrences with Israel’s self proclaimed war on Gaza, emotions rise giving way to tension and unrest. With some Muslim communities within America fearing the coming days will be filled with more Islamophobic behavior, one can only recall the similarity of sentiments in the immediate post-9/11 era which are still very prevalent to date.
Yet, the U.S. Department of Justice ensures they are “focused on protecting the safety and the civil rights of every person in this country. We will use every legal authority at our disposal to bring to justice those who perpetrate illegal acts of hate. No one in the United States of America should have to live in fear of violence because of how they worship or where they or their family come from.”
The statement was made after the killing of a six year old boy, Wadea Al Fayoume and the injuring of his mother who was stabbed over a dozen times by her landlord on October 15 in Plainfield Township, Illinois.
When the mother answered the door, Joseph Czuba, who had been watching news reports about the conflict, began to choke her saying, “You Muslims must die” according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). He then began stabbing her with a knife over a dozen times. The young boy was then stabbed 26 times and succumbed to his injuries. The victims had lived at the residence for two years without incident.
The FBI is also investigating the incident as a hate crime. The mother was released from the hospital on October 22.
Unfortunately, history has shown that harassment and attacks against Muslims in the U.S. will continue. Although U.S. law enforcement is making efforts to establish working relationships with the Muslim community in the U.S., many Arabs and Muslims remain apprehensive. The political climate, in which Islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism are used as tools to create fear, can only increase the violence and hatred that is prevalent in America today.
Muslims and non–Muslims alike can make way for dialogue and understanding within their broader communities so that there is no room for hate and fear between them. Non–Muslims might be assured to read the following saying of the Holy Last Messenger Muhammad peace be upon him:
“Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshiping in the mornings, and the nights.” (Bukhari).
Selma Aziz, IP editors and M.S. Ahmad Qadri
