“This escalation of violence, and the loss, fear, anxiety, and trauma that comes with it are contrary to everything social work stands for, and we affirm our commitment to fighting such hateful incidents with the full force of our profession,” said NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW.
Reported hate crimes have surged since the start of the conflict according to the FBI, which has opened 60 percent more hate crime investigations since October. In addition:
The Jewish Anti-Defamation League reports that anti-Jew incidents have risen more than 380 percent since Israel started its genocide against Palestinians, the most to occur in a two-month period since that organization began tracking such incidents in 1979.
The Council on American Islamic Relations has reported more than 2,100 complaints of anti-Islamic and anti-Palestinian hate in the last two months.
At least two recent killings in the United States have been listed as hate crimes and numerous people have been injured, including in shootings. The fear felt by people who are Jewish, Israeli, Muslim or Palestinian has become so oppressive that some try to avoid public harassment by changing their attire and trying to blend in.
The NASW says that it is committed to:
- Condemning all acts of hate and urging social workers to help their communities create initiatives to prevent hate crimes and heal from such trauma through mediation, training, and community support.
- Encouraging social workers to be culturally aware and informed about the Jewish, Arab, and Muslim clients they are working with and the trauma, fear, and anxiety that acts of hate are causing them.
- Ensuring social workers are aware people outside of the Jewish, Arab, and Muslim communities are traumatized by incidents of hate because the corrosive effect of hate touches us all.
- Continuing to advocate for lawmakers on the local, state, and federal levels to pass and enforce anti-hate laws.
- Advocating for mental health services for those affected by hate and urging social workers working with these people or communities to practice self-care and seek mental health support if needed.
- Supporting the global social work community’s call for peace and humanitarian assistance in the region, as a member of the International Federation of Social Workers.
It might help social workers to understand that both Judaism and Islam manufacture hatred on a deep level. Judaism's Talmud teaches that all non-Jews are the spawn of Satan, less than human and to be abused. The Qur'an is substantially less hate inciting and Surah Al-An'am verse 108, prohibits religious hate speech. However, Islam is a totalitarian religion that is anti-democracy, anti-woman and anti-free speech.
One of the most important things that social workers can do is to help their clients liberate themselves from obsolete and destructive religious beliefs and think for themselves.