Injury Attorney

Hate crimes against Muslims rise in Texas

What exactly is meant by the term “hate crimes?”

The FBI defines it as “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity:” FBI. There’s a reason for being thorough. Threats vary sharply depending on the minority, place, and time period. The FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Reporting is the gold standard, providing the most comprehensive and reliable statistics on this subject. Sometimes statistics vary in such crimes because allot of them are never reported. Victims often feel nothing can be done. In 2015, reports of hate crimes against Muslims surged 67% over the previous year, far in excess of the 7% overall increase for hate crimes generally.

Is this an actual increase or just greater willingness to report them? Take the border state of Texas as an example. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, reports of hate crimes targeting Muslims is the highest it has been since 9/11.  The Southern Poverty Law Center reported almost 900 hate crime incidents around the country in the ten days following the presidential election, many directed against Muslims. These ranged from verbal harassment to physical assault.

In Austin they increased about 33 percent in the past two years (read more). Although these incidents may seem minor to those not feeling targeted, it certainly illustrates the problem: Hate crimes against Muslims are rising.

If you or someone you know have been victims of a hate crime, an Austin Injury Attorney like Terry & Kelly can help you. Call us now and book an appointment.