Palestinian Americans decry negative media portrayals, fear hate crimes

‘This is reminding me a bit of how it felt post-9/11,’ Palestinian activist and policy analyst Laila El-Haddad told Religion News Service

By Kathryn Post and  Roxanne Stone

Oday Al-Fayoume, father of Wadea Al-Fayoume, looks at a photo of his son during a vigil Tuesday at a recreation center in Plainfield, Ill. Police said the 6-year-old was fatally stabbed and his mother wounded by a man who targeted them for their faith. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

Thousands of miles from the crisis in Gaza, Muslims and Palestinians in the United States are reporting a wave of Islamophobic incidents that, for many, feels terrifyingly familiar.

“This is reminding me a bit of how it felt post-9/11,” Palestinian activist and policy analyst Laila El-Haddad told Religion News Service on Tuesday.

In the days since Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel unleashed retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza, thousands of civilians have been killed. For some Palestinian Americans, the days have been consumed by checking on loved ones in Gaza while also taking precautions for their own safety. Meanwhile, they have watched as some who voice support for the Palestinian civilians trapped in Gaza have been condemned or received threats of their own. >>Read More