Spike in Harassment Incidents Reported Against Jewish and Muslim Americans

(RepublicanPress.org) – On October 7, Hamas — an Islamist terrorist organization — rained thousands of missiles on Israel. The group followed up that barrage of explosives with a coordinated attack by land, sea, and air. Thousands of people have reportedly been killed in Israel and Gaza have been killed so far, with no end in sight. While the crux of the conflict is in the Middle East, repercussions of the war are felt all over the world — especially by those who are Jewish or Muslim.

On October 24, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a sharp spike in antisemitic incidents in the US since Hamas attacked Israel. The group estimated instances of harassment, vandalism, and assault against the Jewish population increased by nearly 400%. From October 7 through October 23, 2022, the ADL noted 64 incidents of antisemitism — four were Israel-related. During the same period this year, that number jumped to 312, with 190 directly linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Muslim and Jewish civil rights groups say they’ve seen large increases in reports of harassment, bias and sometimes physical assaults against members of their communities since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. https://t.co/C2Nv0bbBha

— ABC News (@ABC) October 26, 2023

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said whenever “conflict erupts in Israel,” Jews become a target all over the world. He called the rise in antisemitism “disturbing.”

The Jewish community isn’t the only group experiencing a rise in hate. The Muslim community is suffering as well. ABC News reported that a spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the organization overall had received 774 reports of anti-Muslim activity. The group’s national headquarters noted 110 such reports during that less than three-week period, compared to 63 instances in all of August. The leaders of the council said they haven’t seen anti-Muslim rhetoric this bad since former President Donald Trump threatened to ban Muslim immigrants in 2015.

Research and Advocacy Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Corey Saylor, called on all public officials to do whatever they could to counter the hate. He believes President Joe Biden should step in as well, stating it might help if he visited with Americans who’ve lost loved ones in Gaza.