The surge in Islamophobic violence in the US in late 2023 is inevitably an extension of Palestine genocide. The wave of hate, bias and discrimination has gripped Muslims across the world along with those in Palestine.
The stabbing of a Palestinian Muslim boy in Chicago and of a Palestinian American man in Texas as well as the targeted shooting of three Palestinian Muslim boys in Vermont are incidents driven by Islamophobia already prevalent in the US since 9/11.
The violence rampant in the last quarter of 2023 has made it clear that the collective US narrative reeks of anti-Islamic spirits, and that the spirit will soar at the faintest whiff of the turn of events against Muslims.
The staggering number of complaints thus far received by the Council on American-Islamic Relations about discrimination based on race, ethnicity and religion proves an unprecedented track record of violence against Muslims. The turbulence is backed by the Biden administration’s rhetoric that has changed sharply since the rise of Palestine genocide.
In addition to backing up political and military support against Palestine, the Biden administration has also contributed to Islamophobic propaganda. One such instance was John Kirby’s visible discriminatory disposition towards Ukraine when his emotions were flooded with sympathies for Ukrainians, but ironically, his statement attributed the Palestine genocide to unavoidable events of war. These double standards maintained by the US, nevertheless, have only resurfaced from a dormant position since the 9/11 ‘war on terror’ while they have always existed in subtle forms.
It is inevitable that the prevalent wave of Islamophobic violence in the US will continue to risk Muslims’ survival in the country. No matter the extent to which President Joe Biden tries to revert his explicit support for Israel, arms supply to Israel continues and is deteriorating the damage. Although Biden claims taking action against domestic Islamophobia, if at all, it will remain baseless until mass-scale intervention is made to address the most horrific crime on humanity in Palestine.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2024.
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