Hate Crimes Awareness Month in October
THE NEXT HALF AN HOUR TO YOU THEN, MARQUISE. ALL NEW AT TEN. THE LATEST FBI CRIME STATS SHOW THERE WERE MORE THAN 11,000 HATE CRIME INCIDENTS IN 2020. FOR OCTOBER IS HATE CRIME AWARENESS MONTH, AS GAIL PASCHALL-BROWN REPORTS, IT’S A TIME TO SOUND THE ALARM AND HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR THE PUBLIC AND POLICYMAKERS TO PREVENT HATE CRIMES. WHEN HATE REARS ITS UGLY HEAD. VIOLENCE IS NOT FAR BEHIND. THIS DEADLY ATTACK. LAST MONTH KILLED FOUR PEOPLE AND LEFT EIGHT OTHERS INJURED AT THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS IN MICHIGAN. THE GUNMAN WAS A 40 YEAR OLD IRAQI WAR VETERAN WHO HAD OPENLY DECLARED HIS HATRED FOR THE LDS CHURCH AND ITS FOLLOWERS. HATRED IS ACROSS THE BOARD. IT IS NOT NOW CONFINED TO ONE COMMUNITY ONLY. IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYBODY IS HATING EVERYBODY FOR WHATEVER REASONS. THAT IS WHY THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER DECLARED OCTOBER AS HATE CRIMES AWARENESS MONTH. THE CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS INTERIM PRESIDENT SAYS WE ARE FAILING AS A SOCIETY. WHEN OUR NEIGHBORS ARE HARMED SIMPLY FOR HOW THEY LOOK, HOW THEY WORSHIP, WHO THEY LOVE, OR HOW THEY CHOOSE TO LIVE. WE CAN AND MUST DO BETTER BY DESIGNATING OCTOBER AS HATE CRIMES AWARENESS MONTH. THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER WANTS TO GET PEOPLE TALKING, LEARNING, AND HOPEFULLY PREVENTING HATE. MAKE IT A WELCOMING COMMUNITY. THAT’S WHAT THE IMAM DOES HERE EVERY WEEK. EACH WEDNESDAY AT 6:30 P.M., IT’S OPEN HOUSE AT THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF ORLANDO AND ALL ARE WELCOME. IMAM TARIQ RASHID. WE ARE HERE ONLY FOR THIS ONE REASON. WE WANT PEOPLE TO BUILD BRIDGES. COME TOGETHER. PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS OR NO FAITHS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, EACH WEEK WE RENEW OUR PLEDGE TO BE PEACEFUL. AT TIMES THERE HAVE BEEN ATTACKS AGAINST HIS OWN COMMUNITY, MUSLIMS AND ISLAM HAVE BEEN UNDER ATTACK FOR A LONG TIME NOW. SO. BUT ARE WE? OUR FAITH TEACHES US THAT REPLY TO HATRED WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND AND WITH PEACE SITTING DOWN TOGETHER, BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER. IT CHANGES ONE PERSON AT A TIME. COVERING ORANGE COUNT
Hate Crimes Awareness Month in October encourages communication and community
A deadly attack last month at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan killed four people and left eight others injured, carried out by a 40-year-old Iraqi war veteran who had openly declared his hatred for the LDS church and its followers.Imam Tariq Rasheed from the Islamic Center of Orlando said, “Hatred is across the board. It’s not confined to one community only. It looks like everybody hating everybody for whatever reason.”The Southern Poverty Law Center has declared October as Hate Crimes Awareness Month. Bryan Fair, the interim president and CEO of SPLC, said, “We are failing as a society when our neighbors are harmed simply for how they look, how they worship, who they love or how they choose to live. We can, and must, do better.”By designating October as Hate Crimes Awareness Month, the SPLC aims to get people talking, learning, and hopefully preventing hate, making it a welcoming community.Imam Rasheed hosts an Open House every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Islamic Center of Orlando, inviting all to join.”We are here only for this one reason: We want people to build bridges, come together, people of all faiths or no faith,” Rasheed said. “Most importantly, each week we renew our pledge to be peaceful.”Despite attacks against his own community, Rasheed emphasized, “Muslims and Islam have been under attack for a long time now, but our faith teaches us to reply to hatred with a smile on your face and with peace.”He believes that sitting down together and breaking bread can change perspectives, one person at a time.
A deadly attack last month at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan killed four people and left eight others injured, carried out by a 40-year-old Iraqi war veteran who had openly declared his hatred for the LDS church and its followers.
Imam Tariq Rasheed from the Islamic Center of Orlando said, “Hatred is across the board. It’s not confined to one community only. It looks like everybody hating everybody for whatever reason.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center has declared October as Hate Crimes Awareness Month. Bryan Fair, the interim president and CEO of SPLC, said, “We are failing as a society when our neighbors are harmed simply for how they look, how they worship, who they love or how they choose to live. We can, and must, do better.”
By designating October as Hate Crimes Awareness Month, the SPLC aims to get people talking, learning, and hopefully preventing hate, making it a welcoming community.
Imam Rasheed hosts an Open House every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Islamic Center of Orlando, inviting all to join.
“We are here only for this one reason: We want people to build bridges, come together, people of all faiths or no faith,” Rasheed said. “Most importantly, each week we renew our pledge to be peaceful.”
Despite attacks against his own community, Rasheed emphasized, “Muslims and Islam have been under attack for a long time now, but our faith teaches us to reply to hatred with a smile on your face and with peace.”
He believes that sitting down together and breaking bread can change perspectives, one person at a time.