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In recent months news reports of events in Israel/Palestine, Xinjian, Cashmere and Afghanistan have caught our attention. Because we care about people and hold justice and human rights as values, we are drawn to speak and act.

Good.

Actually, not just good, but AWESOME! A representative democracy like ours needs all of us to actively participate in the policy debates of the United States. We need rigorous debates among us about the impact of our policies and how we can help create a more peaceful and just world.

Democracies die when citizens abdicate their civic responsibilities – including when we do not support local news!

We participate in these debates because of our values and because we care about the real condition of human beings and our beautiful planet.

The way we state our views is also important.

We have seen the increase in violence toward Asian Americans due to political leaders casting blame on China and collective blame against all those perceived to be Chinese. Collective blame, especially in a time of anxiety like a pandemic, will lead to increased discrimination against and violence toward the identified group.

Recently we have seen a terrible surge in anti-Semitic speech and violence. I expect the same will happen toward our Muslim neighbors. Antisemitism and Islamophobia are two vines growing from one fearful root. The news and many times the speech of citizens engaged in debate, has framed it as a conflict between Muslims and Jews. This framing dehumanizes both, applies collective blame to both and negates the actual complexity of the situation in a way that diminishes a solution and increases violence against both communities in the US. If we care about people there, let us also care about people here in the way we talk about these issues.

I have not met one Christian who wants Jesus to be responsible for the actions of a nation state.

The same with atheists or agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus or Sikhs! But, how often do we speak of the actions or policies of the State of Israel as if all Jewish people, or the Jewish religion are responsible for it? How often do we speak of majority Muslim nations or groups as if all Muslims are responsible for their actions? When we do, we are applying collective blame to these groups and even to religion as a whole.

That leads to increasing violence here in the United States.

Nation states and other groups do what they do based on their own idea of what is in their interests based on who is in power.

More on this theme another time.

We need to learn to be more specific. Do not say “Israel” or “Jews” are doing this or that. Do not say “Muslims” or “Palestinians” are doing that or this. What you can say is that you “disagree with a policy of the State of Israel.” You can say you disagree with “the actions of a Muslim group or a nation state.”

This simple verbal and mental discipline can help people become clearer about the real issues (policies). It can help stop the collective blame that leads, as a part of larger process of dehumanization, to violence and discrimination against our fellow citizens, our neighbors, our friends. This is one way that we can love people there and here.

Terry Kyllo is the executive director of Paths to Understanding, bridging bias and building unity through multi-faith peacemaking, built on the foundational work of Rabbi Levine and Father Treacy.