Hate crimes decline, but some are skeptical

By: Shelley ZeigerThe news:

In September, a 62-year-old Vietnamese man drowned after being pushed into Lake Michigan, allegedly by a group of five people. The main perpetrator, John J. Haley, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder but not with a hate crime.

Behind the news:

According to the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, hate crimes in Chicago have declined by
37.5 percent since 2003.

The commission’s 2006 report shows that hate crimes based on religion had the biggest percentage decline, from 19 cases in 2003 to nine in 2006. Hate crimes based on race declined from 55 cases in 2003 to 31 in 2006.

In this category, hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs had the sharpest decline from 17 incidents in 2003 to three incidents reported in 2006.

Reem Rahman, communications coordinator for the Chicago chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit advocacy organization for American Muslims, is skeptical of the decline, given the effects she perceives mainstream media rhetoric has in targeting Muslims in America.

First Deputy Commissioner Ken Gunn attributed the decline to a change in public awareness. “People are less tolerant of those kinds of activities anymore, but we do know they still exist,” Gunn said.

“There is definitely a problem with reporting,” Rahman said. “There’s a lot of intimidation toward the
Muslim community in a lot of different ways.”

Rahman also pointed out that the council’s 2007 report showed that civil rights complaints filed by
Muslims have increased by 25 percent nationwide, from 1,972 incidents in 2005 to 2,467 incidents in 2006.

Illinois led the nation in per capita civil rights complaints with 319 cases reported.