Surge In Hate Crimes Nationwide Sparks Discussion At Islamic Center

Rasa - Amina Masri of Glastonbury has three daughters, ranging in age from 15 months to 13 years old. And in their short lives, her oldest two have already been victims of bullying because of their Syrian heritage and Muslim faith.

News ID: 425964

Date: 22 December 2016 - 14:40

RNA - Amina Masri of Glastonbury has three daughters, ranging in age from 15 months to 13 years old. And in their short lives, her oldest two have already been victims of bullying because of their Syrian heritage and Muslim faith.

"We don't want it to happen," Masri said. "We don't want to make any child feel uncomfortable."

That's why Masri, with about a dozen other members of Connecticut's Muslim community, gathered at the Islamic Center of Connecticut Friday to share their experiences and concerns with state Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Blumenthal plans to use their input as he drafts legislation designed to tighten federal hate crime laws.

Blumenthal cited an FBI statistic that indicates hate crimes increased 6 percent nationwide last year, a number driven by a 67 percent surge in crimes against Muslim Americans.

He spoke of a specific incident last week, in which an Islamic Center of New Haven facility in West Haven received a threatening letter that used vile language to describe Muslims and invoked the name of President-elect Donald Trump.

"The hate crimes against Muslims are only the beginning of the kind of disintegration of tolerance in this country that will occur if there is a failure in leadership," Blumenthal said, calling on Trump to condemn all hate crimes, not just hate crimes against Muslims.

Blumenthal said his proposal will include stronger penalties to deter hate crimes, such as imprisonment and community service, as well as a call for more accurate reporting of such crimes.

Last month, Blumenthal and other advocates held a press conference to discuss recently released FBI statistics that found hate crimes are underreported across the country, including in Connecticut.

He added that the measure will enable individuals to take action in court against perpetrators of hate crimes.

"The point here is that all of us as Americans have an obligation to condemn and act against hate crimes because, directed against one group — [whether] based on religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity — they can endanger everyone," Blumenthal said.

Friday's discussion centered on reacting to several comments Trump made during the campaign, including talk of banning Muslims from entering the U.S. and of creating a registry of Muslims.

Many attendees also spoke of their concerns over some of Trump's recent cabinet picks that have been known to express anti-Muslim sentiments.

Ghoufran Allababidi of Berlin moved to Connecticut 16 years ago. Allababidi said she noticed a shift, not only during the presidential campaign and election, but also in the time since Trump won the presidency.

"Things have started to change, during the election and now after the election," Allababidi said. "We need to realize that it's changing from words into actions now."

Blumenthal urged victims to contact local authorities and the FBI, because hate crimes are a violation of state and federal law.

"We're very fortunate in Connecticut because ... our law enforcement authorities are very attuned to this issue and very aggressive about enforcing the law," he said.

"At this last front, we knew that an imminent threat to the civilians who were left there that something would happen, but ... we are really puzzled by the lack of any powerful statements ... that would protect some of these civilians," Dhaouadi said. "We just left them in the cold."

Marriyah Farid, a member of CT Anchor, an organization that assists refugees in Connecticut and Greece, said the intent of the rally was to "bring attention to a forgotten crisis" and encourage leaders to push for a cease-fire.

"There are so many people dying at this very moment," Farid said. "The least we can do is just be their voices."

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