ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers with the Legislative Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus are denouncing hate in the wake of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
In a letter shared Wednesday, the coalition of lawmakers said they have seen "a sharp rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism." Careful to note that international policy is not under its purview, the caucus expressed that the safety and well-being of its constituents align with its mission.
"And in this moment, we are particularly concerned for our Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian neighbors," the letter read.
Citing a decline in compassion and understanding, the lawmakers' words come as the FBI Atlanta also recently warned of a significant spike in Islamophobic and antisemitic threats. Georgia universities are also citing an intolerance for hate.
"This disregard for trust and for our shared humanity paves the way for hate and violence," the lawmakers wrote.
Such hate led to the murder of a 6-year-old Muslim child in Chicago, lawmakers said. In Georgia, representatives said that it led to Neo-Nazi groups projecting antisemitic messages onto the I-75 overpass in Cobb County this weekend. Lawmakers expressed these recent instances as signs that people are using the crisis in Palestine and Israel "to target Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, and Palestinian Americans here in the United States."
"So what we say in this moment matters," lawmakers said. "And as we move forward in these often frightening and uncertain times, it is important that we temper our rhetoric and root our actions in the belief that everyone deserves equal protection, care, and rights."
Georgia's Legislative AAPI Caucus continued its letter to strongly condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian discrimination.
"Holding all these views together should not be contradictory. Summoning our shared humanity is a strength, not a paradox," lawmakers said. "How we lead in this moment matters."
They called on the people of Georgia, "a state with a heart big enough to include us all," to also stand with their Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian friends and neighbors "as we live and move forward together."
Read the full letter in the message below:
