Hate crimes against Muslims have been escalating with the continued Israeli offensive in Gaza. A recent incident saw a 7th-grade teacher swearing at and threatening to behead a Muslim middle-school student on December 8 for her objection to his display of the Israeli flag.
The teacher is being charged for terroristic acts and cruelty to children.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says there have been “staggering” reports of hate crimes in the United States since early October.
“In the eight weeks from Oct. 7 to Dec. 2, CAIR’s national headquarters and chapters received a total of 2,171 requests for help and reports of bias, which is a 172 percent increase over a similar two-month period the previous year.”
On December 12, a Muslim woman in hijab and keffiyeh was assaulted in a city council meeting in Irvine, California, by a woman who identified as an Israeli.
At a Sand City beach, a man vandalized a “Free Gaza” sign created by three young Palestinians and is accused of having “choked the 13-year-old child in the group” in early December.
On December 3, a man committed vandalism against a Muslim’s car, with the suspect admitting he defaced the car because the owner is Muslim.
In late November, the three young Palestinian men were shot and seriously injured while walking near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington. The victims were wearing keffiyehs and speaking in a mix of English and Arabic when they were shot, according to the Associated Press.
The event is being investigated as a hate crime.
-IP Correspondent
