A surge of Islamophobia and antisemitism has caused members of Montgomery County’s Anti-Hate Task Force to adjust their recommendations to the County Council. Some advocates say hate crimes have become an even larger concern in the county since they submitted their recommendations in early October.
While task force members have requested more effective reporting, they’re also asking for major investments in hate crime prevention and marginalized communities. The county’s Anti-Hate Task Force was created earlier this year by then-Council President Evan Glass (D-At-large) and started meeting in July.
The task force is made up of six cohorts representing the Muslim, Jewish, LGBTQ+, Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic and Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) communities.
Ambereen Khan, leader of the task force’s Muslim cohort, said at Tuesday’s County Council meeting that the cohort’s recommendations have changed since they submitted their formal ideas on Oct. 10. She said this is because of an increase of Islamophobia in wake of the Israel-Hamas war, which began Oct. 7.
“We are facing an avalanche of harassment in the workplace and in the schools, verbal assault and intimidation in public places, bullying, doxxing and even violent attacks. There is a crisis of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry once again,” Khan said. “For many, it’s because they express concern for Palestinians and are protesting the indiscriminate killing of civilians.”
The Muslim cohort’s new recommendations include immediately creating an office of ombudsman on hate, that would be staffed and create a report on hate. The cohort is also recommending a county-wide summit to address hate and protecting non-violent political speech.
Meredith Weisel, leader of the Jewish cohort, shared similar concerns about an uptick in antisemitism hate incidents since the Israel-Hamas war began, and how this impacted the group’s recommendations after the initial deadline. She referenced incidents including swastikas being drawn on desks in schools, pro-Israel banners being torn down, and a Mezuzah – a small case enclosing scriptures from the Torah — being removed from a family’s door.
“We have to understand that when we say incidents, that doesn’t mean that everything rises to the level of a hate crime under the legal definition… However, that doesn’t mean the impact of a bias incident should be diminished,” Weisel said. “Jewish day schools are being targeted with antisemitic statements and threats. Jewish students have been harassed, targeted and singled out to the point that many are afraid to go to school.”
The Jewish cohort is recommending that the county legislate Holocaust and genocide education as a requirement in Montgomery County Public Schools, and require faculty to undergo training on antisemitism.
Phillip Alexander Downie of the LGBTQ+ cohort said due to a lack of LGBTQ+ specific spaces in the county, the cohort is recommending that the county create a community-based resource center for LGBTQ+ residents.
“We are facing higher rates of suicide. We are facing disproportionate rates of homelessness. We are facing disproportionate rates of housing and food insecurity,” Downie said. “We need to take action to ensure that there are resources that are available so that we can combat several different areas.”
Councilmembers voiced support for the task force’s work and recommendations.
“We must act and there are very solid and reasonable recommendations throughout all of your reports. Some of them are low-hanging fruits, things that we can do right away, things that won’t cost any money. Others will take a little bit more time,” councilmember Gabe Albornoz (D-At-large said.
Albornoz said that it’s important to make sure the work continues to be community-driven and collaborative because “Montgomery County feels like a high school cafeteria sometimes.”
Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe (D-Dist. 2) emphasized that it is important to make sure the county not only has resources for residents affected by hate, but also to ensure those resources are accessible and trustworthy.
“We need to make sure that people feel comfortable reporting [hate incidents]… so they know that they’re going to be listened to and I think that that was one of the things that struck me. it’s not just it’s not just enough to have a hotline, but we need to make sure that everybody feels safe,” Balcombe said.