Racism, threats, and physical violence surrounding the war in Gaza echo rhetoric following 9/11

(Community Corner is provided as a local contribution from experts in their field as well as local residents. This article is contributed by Dr. Reema Wahdan)

In Colorado, there has been an increase in Islamophobia and Anti-Arab bias as a direct result of Israel’s war in Gaza. Both the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee have both reported an unprecedented increase in complaints with over 770 cases from 10/7/23 to 11/4/2023. This is a massive increase over the previous year. Both Islamophobia and Anti-Palestinian rhetoric have been used to justify violence against Palestinians in Gaza and silence supporters of Palestinian human rights here in America. The surge in bigotry has resulted in several incidents being documented against students, physicians, places of work and worship, and more.

As an advocate for human rights for Palestinians, our Palestinian community has been troubled by the loss of both Palestinian and Israelis. In Colorado, the Palestinian community lost 133 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. We have been steadfast in safeguarding the citizens of Palestine and Israel. While we mourn the over 17,000 Palestinian lives lost and the over 1,200 Israeli lives lost. We also demand a return for the Palestinian and Israeli hostages taken after October 7th. Both our communities are stricken by trauma and grief. We stand for peace and an immediate ceasefire in order to restore safety and security for all who live in this region.

Despite the numerous calls for peace and ceasefire in the region, on October 11th my family’s business of 48 years was targeted with numerous of calls and death threats saying “we will kill you Arabs and Palestinians.”

On October 13, our house was also targeted where we found a bullet shot into our living room. The rise of threats against Muslim students has increased in high schools in Aurora and Denver. Over 32 students met with Superintendent Chris Smith of the Cherry Creek School District with reports of directly targeted threats against their lives, denial of pro-Arab activities, or support for Muslim students in general. Derogatory terms such as “terrorist” or “Twin- towers” were used. A recent incident resulted in a pro-Israeli substitute teacher being escorted off the campus due to bullying and harassing language to a group of middle school students for not supporting Israel.

Lastly, many university students have also received threats from Universities to pull funding and support for any Muslim or pro-Palestinian student group on campus. Outside organizations have targeted students and falsely claimed they are “pro-terrorist organizations.”

Other threats nationally include the murder of six-year old Chicago resident Wadea Al-Fayome who was stabbed 26 times by a man who targeted the boy and mother for their Muslim identity. On October 26th three Palestinians college students were shot at in a hate crime in Vermont. There were also another two attempts of murder, numerous violent threats, the use of vehicles as a weapon to target protestors, and incidents involving guns being discharged or brandished to threaten supporters of Palestinian human rights.

The Anti-Defamation League’s increased pressure both nationally and locally has harassed Palestinians, Muslims, and any student organizations that speak up to defend Palestinian human rights. The ADL provided an open letter calling on university leaders to investigate pro-Palestinian student groups, alleging their speech constitutes support for terrorism, despite not being able to provide evidence for such claims.

In Denver, the ADL continues to defame Palestinian students and local house representatives such as Elizabeth Epps who have collectively argued to defend Palestinian human rights. We further applaud efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union who are protecting students who are exercising their constitutional right to free speech by organizing, open debate, and peaceful dissent on campus.

Here in Colorado, our Muslim community will continue to stand united for peace. We will not allow racist organizations to leverage their influence to promote hate. We will continue to work to protect all forms of human rights. Those who oppose this calling will ultimately stand on the wrong side of history. We implore our community in Colorado to end any forms of hate against members of the Muslim or Jewish faith. We appeal to the collective humanity in the world to halt the devastating bombings of innocent civilians. May compassion and urgency guide our collective actions toward a future of peace and healing for all people in this region.