Religious minorities in the U.S., including Muslims, Jews and Sikhs, are facing a surge of discrimination, harassment and hate crimes on the basis of their beliefs and identities. The Southern Poverty Law Center counted almost 900 incidents of hate or bias in the 10 days after the 2016 election and many more since, including bomb threats, vandalism, intimidation and murder.
Counter-protesters hold signs and shout slogans during an anti-Sharia rally in Seattle, Washington, U.S., June 10, 2017. REUTERS/David Ryder – RTS16IBR
•  Earlier this month, a shooter fired a pellet gun at a mosque in New York City’s Bronx borough, cracking a window and hitting a worshiper in the neck.
•  Vandals damaged and toppled hundreds of gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia in February.
•  Two men were killed and another wounded when they tried to stop a man’s anti-Muslim rant on a train in Portland, Ore., in May.
Religion News Service has covered these incidents, but we plan to do more, and we need your help.
As part of a fundraising challenge by the GlobalGiving Foundation, RNS aims to raise $20,000 by June 30 to launch a new reporting series on community-led efforts that combat religious hatred and intolerance in the U.S. Through this series, we plan to highlight scalable solutions that will benefit targeted communities.
If we raise at least $5,000 from a minimum of 40 donors by the June 30 deadline, we will secure a permanent fundraising spot on the GlobalGiving platform.
On June 21, GlobalGiving will match online donations of between $25 and $1,000.
Please mark your calendars and be as generous as possible on that day by donating via our GlobalGiving project page.
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About Religion News Service
RNS is an independent, nonprofit and award-winning source of global news on religion, spirituality, culture and ethics, reported by a staff of professional journalists. Founded in 1934, RNS seeks to inform readers with objective reporting and insightful commentary, and is relied upon by secular and faith-based news organizations in a number of countries. RNS is affiliated with the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri.