Worship institutions of various faiths, including synagogues, Buddhist temples and Catholic churches, are increasingly being targeted by vandalism, arson and other types of attacks.
In 2020, the United States recorded the highest number of hate crimes since 2001 (in 2001, a wave of Islamophobia was triggered by the 9/11 attacks). More are expected in 2021. And many of these crimes are related to religious fanaticism and intolerance.
Experts call political processes and crises in various regions of the world one of the main reasons for the growth of this type of crime. According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, in New York in just three weeks in May, the number of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and other Jewish places of worship almost equaled the figure for the entire first quarter of the year. This outbreak of violence coincided with heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. The attacks on Black American churches were carried out in retaliation for the Black Lives Matter protests. And a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles was set on fire by extremists in the wake of anti-Asian sentiment.
And it’s not just about damaging property. In October 2018, 11 members of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA were murdered.
Newspaper headline:
Religion in jeopardy
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