In the early hours of October 7, Hamas, a militant Palestinian terrorist group, launched rockets into Israeli villages and communities outside the Gaza Strip, sparking a war with Israel, according to The New York Times.  As a result, within the United States (US), Muslims have begun to fear the resurgence of Islamophobic sentiments similar to those post-9/11, according to CNN.  Their concern heightened when a landlord in Chicago, Illinois, stabbed six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume to death solely because he was Palestinian Muslim, according to The New York Times.  Additionally, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) documented a more than threefold increase in antisemitic incidents in the US in the weeks after the conflict began, according to cbsnews.com.  As a country that prides itself on freedom of religion, these hate crimes not only undermine the US First Amendment, but also showcase the loss of humanity.  It is critical that no person dies as a result of their religious affiliations.  Hate only creates more hatred.

As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, American Muslims are experiencing a recurrence of the Islamophobia that they faced in the aftermath of the al-Qaeda terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, according to CNN.  The post-9/11 hate crimes included public harassment, vandalism of places of worship, forcible removal of hijabs, physical assault, and murder.  This violence results from placing all Muslims into the same ethnic and religious category, according to news.harvard.edu.  However, there are over 49 countries where the majority of the population practices Islam, according to pewresearch.org.  Therefore, stereotyping Muslims is not only culturally incorrect, but also can have grave consequences.  Mr. Kevin King, Upper School History Teacher at Sacred Heart Greenwich, discussed the danger of associating all followers of a religion with its extremist views. 

“Extremists often distort the teachings of a religion in order to justify their actions,” Mr. King said.  “This can lead to misunderstanding from those outside the religious tradition.  As a result, mainstream followers of a religion may feel that they are being unfairly associated with extremist views that they reject.  This can lead to all sorts of further problems, including stigmatization, demonization, discrimination, and prejudice.”

Today, this discrimination persists.  As a consequence of the recent Israeli-Hamas conflict, hate crimes against Muslims have increased in the US.  Muslim Americans are once again encountering vandalism, bullying in school and the workplace, and threatening phone calls.  In New York City, a bus passenger punched a 19-year-old boy for wearing a turban, according to CNN.  Americans must not let the history of Muslim persecution repeat itself.  These violent hate crimes can have no home in the US, a country that stands for religious freedom, not intolerance and oppression.

Fear and grief rocked the Muslim community October 14, when a Chicago landlord stabbed six-year-old Wadea to death.  Moments before the attack, the suspect spat angry words at Mrs. Shahin Al-Fayoume, the child’s mother, blaming her for the crisis in the Middle East.  Mrs. Al-Fayoume replied that they should “pray for peace.” Soon after, the landlord charged at her and Wadea with a knife, according to The New York Times.  As a six-year-old boy, Wadea knew little to nothing about the conflicts transpiring halfway across the globe.  

Family members described Wadea as a “warm and kind child” who had his whole life ahead of him, according to The New York Times.  The US, “the land of the free,” cannot let innocent children die due to prejudice and arbitrary association of extremist religious views with other believers of the same faith.

Dr. Iman Omar Suleiman, founder and president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and professor of Islamic studies at Southern Methodist University, commented on the horrendous nature of this hate crime.  He stressed the inhumanity of killing a small child, according to CNN.  

“What type of hate has to be manufactured in the head of a man for him to stand over a 6-year-old boy and stab him 26 times?” Dr. Suleiman said, according to CNN. “I want each and every single one of us to take a step back and to actually assess our own humanity in the moment.”

How can a country whose principal document expresses religious freedom allow a crime like the killing of Wadea to occur?  Americans must stand up against these ongoing acts of hate.  Mr. King emphasized the importance of educating oneself on diverse cultures in order to prevent bias-motivated crimes.

“Religious persecution is often rooted in fear and misunderstanding of others,” Mr. King said. “So, to address this problem, it makes sense to begin by promoting greater education and awareness of other faiths.  Fostering true cross-cultural understanding may support greater acceptance of diversity and religious tolerance.  With that being said, it is also necessary to advocate for political and legal systems that protect religious freedoms and prevent discrimination.”

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, antisemitism has also increased in the US.  According to ADL, a non-profit organization committed to fighting against extremism and antisemitism, 312 incidents of hatred toward the Jewish community in the US occurred between October 7 and October 23, which is 388% more than that same timeframe in 2022, according to cbsnews.com.  Dating back to ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians, some people have viewed Jewish individuals as outsiders because of their beliefs.  As a result, political leaders have historically used the Jewish community as a scapegoat in times of crisis, according to jewishstudies.washington.edu.  For instance, during the Holocaust, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis) carried out a mass murder of over six million Jewish people, blaming Jewish communities for Germany’s economic issues, according to encyclopedia.ushmm.org.

One recent instance of hate against the Jewish community in the US was when a man punched a 27-year-old woman in the face in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal October 15.  When the woman asked the suspect the reasoning behind his assault, his response was, “you are Jewish,” according to cbsnews.com.  No person should have to face physical assault as a consequence of their religious affiliation, whether Jewish, Muslim, or any other faith tradition.  It is inhumane.  This is not “liberty and freedom for all.”

Persecution should have no “home” in any nation, and the US, as “the land of the free,” should serve as a global leader in religious diversity.  The US Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” according to constitution.congress.gov.  Therefore, religious discrimination creates an anti-constitutional environment.  If Americans continue to persecute each other on the basis of different religions, there is no religious freedom. 

Americans must not tolerate the death of innocents as a result of prejudice.  Ultimately, the only way for the US to progress forward, away from violent hate crimes, is through consistent and meaningful education of its people about diverse cultures.  Through cross-cultural understanding, Americans can minimize intolerance and establish true freedom of religion so no person dies as a result of their faith. 

Featured Image by Emily Shull ’25