OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — Across the country and here in Oklahoma, both Muslim and Jewish communities have seen an increase in violent threats and hateful language stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.
Thankfully nothing has come to fruition, but a hoax bomb threat at a temple on Monday left the Jewish community on high alert, and Muslim community leaders are receiving threats often.
Sitting down with FOX25, Adam Soltani printed out and read some of the messages he and his Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) community received since the October 7th crisis in Gaza.
“CAIR supports terrorist organizations” someone wrote. “One of the most disturbing ones in response to a prayer vigil for Gaza was posted from the river to the sea bomb Gaza out of history,” Soltani said.
Out of the up to a hundred threats or hateful comments Soltani has received, some have been reported to the FBI.
He added that the Oklahoma Muslim community is taking extra safety precautions during this time.
“It’s sad and unfortunate that we would have to tell anyone that they can’t just live their normal life, but they actually have to be cautious of what they do, what they say, where they go,” Soltani said. “But that’s the reality of where we are right now.”
While Soltani said a particular Islamic Center or mosque hasn’t been targeted, in the Jewish Community, the Temple BNai was.
“We had the hoax, the bomb threat that ended up being a hoax yesterday morning,” Rachel Johnson, the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater OKC said. “There have been some incidents that have occurred since October 7th.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, hundreds of Jewish centers faced false bomb threats over the last weekend.
In Oklahoma, there’s been 32 reported Anti-Semitic incidents this year. In 2022, there were 11.
“We have seen an increase in Oklahoma in general,” Johnson said.
Both religious communities are desperately trying to stay safe here, while they mourn the war overseas.
“Every single Jewish person knows at least one person that’s in Israel that was affected by this war,” Johnson said.
“There are Muslims in Oklahoma that are from Gaza, that have friends and family members over there, some of which who have unfortunately lost their lives,” Soltani said.
Both communities are asking you to report any threat of violence or harassment incident to local law enforcement.