The cost of turning identity into blame |
The conflict in Gaza that has fuelled antisemitism and Islamophobia is spilling into everyday life. People are starting to blame individuals and communities for the actions of governments or armed groups. This is dangerous.
Something has changed in the way ‘conflict’ is showing up, not just in the Middle East and not just in headlines, but in streets, workplaces, universities and online. It now reaches into everyday life and touches people far beyond where it began.
Since October 7 and the genocide in Gaza that followed, there has been a rise in antisemitic incidents in many countries and, at the same time, a significant rise in Islamophobic occurrences, reported across the world with the same pattern of escalation.
Underneath, something damaging is happening: people are starting to confuse whole........