US: Rise in hate crimes against Muslims, Hindus

: A year after President Donald Trump’s election, there has been a substantial increase in hate violence against South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Middle Eastern, and Arab communities in the US, a report has said.

The non-profit group South Asian Americans Living Together (SAALT) said in a report on Friday that it recorded 302 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic political rhetoric aimed at these communities between November 9, 2016 and November 7, 2017 . This is a rise of more than 45% from its previous analysis in just a year, SAALT said, adding that this has not been seen since the year after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

This includes 213 incidents of hate violence and 89 instances of xenophobic political rhetoric, of which 248, or an astounding 82%, were motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment, it said.

One in five perpetrators of hate violence incidents referenced President Trump, a Trump policy, or a Trump campaign slogan, underlining a strong link between the president’s antiMuslim agenda and hate violence post- election, SAALT said.

Through its policies and rhetoric, the Trump administration’s incessant demonisation of Islam has created an environment of hate against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim, SAALT executive director Suman Raghunathan said.

“Deadly shootings, torched mosques, vandalised homes and businesses, and young people harassed at school have animated an acutely violent post-election year. This administration must break eye contact with white supremacy if our nation is to live up to its highest ideals of religious freedom,” she said. PTI

WASHINGTON