US grants additional $210m to protect faith groups against hate crimes

The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that $210 million of additional funds will be made available to protect faith-based institutions and non-profit organisations from targeted attacks caused by a rise in hatred amid the escalating violence in the Middle East, Reuters has reported.

Rights advocates have warned about rising threats against American Muslims, Arabs and Jews since the start of Israel’s war against the Palestinians in Gaza last October and its more recent attacks on and invasion of Lebanon.

Major US incidents in recent months include the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian girl in Texas; the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim boy in Illinois; the stabbing of a Muslim man in Texas; the beating of a Muslim man in New York; and the shooting of three Muslim students in Vermont.

Other incidents include threats of violence against Jews at Cornell University that led to a conviction and sentencing; an unsuccessful plot to attack a New York City Jewish centre; and a physical assault against a Jewish man in Michigan.

The funding will let organisations equip themselves with personnel, technology and resources to improve security, said the Homeland Security Department. The $210m funding is in addition to $160m in funding announced in June.

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