Koslowitz urges peace after citywide surge in hate crimes
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Koslowitz pictured with 112 Precinct’s Captain Robert Ramos
Council member Karen Koslowitz, who is also chair of the Queens Delegation, recently reacted to Police Commissioner James O’Neil’s release of
hate crime statistics for New York City.
“I was deeply troubled by the news released by the NYPD announcing a 31% increase in hate crimes for our city,” Koslowitz said. “We live in the greatest city in the world in one of the most diverse counties in the United States, and it is imperative that we immediately speak out and denounce hate in all its forms; because to stand silent in the face of these terrible incidents is not an option.”
“As a NYC Council Member I have proudly stood up and spoke truth to intolerance and hate in all their forms; whether it was a swastika painted on an apartment door, or someone physically or verbally assaulted because of their religious garb, sexual orientation, or the color of their skin; bigotry has no home here, it is Un-American, Anti-New Yorker and simply Unacceptable,” she added.
According to O’Neill, crimes against groups such as Muslims and Jews have surged this year.
Koslowitz urged everyone to “remain constantly vigilant to combat intolerance, and stay united in peace and love.”
As a Muslim and long time Queens resident serving on Flushing Interfaith Council’s board, I am glad to see these comments today. And yes, let’s hold perpetrators responsible. However it is also important to hold Donald Trump and many of his proposed cabinet members at least partly responsible for sanctioning this behavior and these hateful reactionary views. It is dumbfounding that Mr Trump could be from our diverse and colorful Borough. A “dog eat dog worldview” seems to free him to follow his id and gain a form of material success through merciless competition. Some see that as strength. But human conscience and compassion are harder to perceive in the mix.
It is also important to remember the forms that hate and dehumanization can take. While the Nazi era offers a frightening model of dehumanization, there continue to be tribalistic hatreds and pograms that seek to just scapegoating vulnerable but hated groups. The Rohingya Muslim minority in Burma is one very current example.
At one time i recall how anti-black prejudice was justified in the minds of many New Yorkers by an appeal to fear and concern about crime. Similarly, Islamophobia, or anti-Muslim sentiment can also be fed by anxieties about religious based violence and/or terrorism as well as the safety of Israel. I urge all readers to reflect on the human tendency to stereotype. Also, it is crucial for prospects for future peace not to close our minds on each other, or to insist on conformity of views. Here I am sharing an article that may challenge some of your readers but I hope in a constructive way: https://theintercept.com/2016/12/04/the-smear-campaign-against-keith-ellison-is-repugnant-but-reveals-much-about-washington/
As the article observes, “If you’re a Democrat, it’s easy to embrace the language of anti-Islamophobia when it comes to condemning Donald Trump and other Republicans. It’s more difficult, but more important, to do so when that poison is coming from within the Democratic Party itself.”