Assembly Bill 715 is a well-intended proposal for protection of Jewish schoolchildren. But Jewish students aren’t alone in needing protection. The 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center was a timely reminder that, after the attack, Arabs and Muslims were stereotyped as terrorists and suffered widespread mistreatment. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reinforced the notion that Muslims and Arabs were the enemy. Prejudice persists: Arab and Muslim students have experienced the distress we see in Jewish students since long before Oct. 7, 2023.
A 2019 report by the American School Counselor Association describes a survey of 1,041 Muslim students ages 11 to 18. It found that significant numbers of students were made fun of, verbally insulted, or abused for being Muslim; became targets of having their hijab pulled off; were physically harassed; felt unsafe, unwelcomed, and disrespected in school; became victims of cyberbullying; were bullied or discriminated against even by administrators, teachers, or other officials at school.
The blaming of all Muslims for Oct. 7, plus high rates of Muslim immigration to Europe and the USA, is exacerbating negative views. Abuse of Muslims is rampant on social media: Fears of Sharia takeover and condemnation of everything from halal meat to wearing the hijab have become online staples. Given youths’ umbilical attachment to all things digital, that content will inevitably redouble the effect on their lived experiences.
Every student facing mistreatment at school deserves protection; the school environment should not favor one kind of student over another.
Jewish students and Muslim students are suffering in school.
Is there any question as to what should be done?
Johanna Rubba
Grover Beach
