Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 12:12am
Parents' responsibility in hate crimes
Column: All Paths
In this column last week, I discussed a 15-year-old Sikh high school student from the New York City borough of Queens, who had his uncut waist-length hair, which is a symbol of his faith, forcibly cut by two of his fellow students. The boys who committed this vicious and hateful act face some serious consequences.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a prepared statement that one of the boys who attacked the Sikh student, 17-year-old Ahmed Umair, a Muslim, "is not accused of some schoolhouse prank, but an attack on the fundamental beliefs of his victim's religion and his freedom to worship freely." If convicted, this boy could serve up to seven years in prison.
After writing about this incident last week, I did some research about youth in America and hate crimes. I was saddened by what I learned. According to The National Youth Violence Resource Center, "almost two-thirds of all reported attacks are committed by individuals under the age of 24.and nearly a third are under 18." The center also reported that most victims of violent hate crimes are also young and that African-Americans, Jews, Arab-Americans and Muslims, new immigrants, lesbians, gay men, and women are some of the most frequently targeted groups.
Last week I asked: Where do kids learn this type of behavior? They are not born with hate in their hearts. Well, the answer is the same. It is learned and reinforced, either in the home or from some source or sources in the community. If the statistics listed above are true, then we can only conclude that the youth of America have some serious racial problems. It is clear from the statistics above that we'd better do something to address this problem because it will only get worse. It may be too late to save Ahmed Umair and the many other young folks who commit hate crimes. Their hearts may be too hardened and filled with hate. I hope and pray that this is not the case. However, we can try to save the rest.
What can we do? The work begins in the home. We have to expose our children to people from other faiths and cultural traditions, and teach them to honor and embrace differences. The school is the next place. School systems across the nation should be mandated to teach students to embrace the diversity that makes America great and unique. I know this work is being done at some level in our schools, but it needs to expanded and more intensive.
Teaching children about diversity in the schools is easy. However, we all know that if what they learn in school is not reinforced at home, we are fighting a losing battle. Now what do we do with the parents? Parental accountability is not new. There are many examples of parents being held accountable for children who break the law. Truancy and curfew violations are two prime examples. Why not hold the parents of children who commit hate crimes accountable? We should have mandatory education programs for those , and if their children continue to commit hate crimes, the parents should be subjected to harsher punishments.
I realize that some children may not have learned hatred and bigotry in their homes. Many kids may be giving into peer pressure or are influenced by other sources in their communities. But their parents are or should be responsible for where they go, what they do, and whom they associate with. So why not hold them accountable?
Maybe it's time for some national legislation that will fund and mandate programs for teaching children about the value of diversity and how hate crimes impact their community. In addition, if young people commit these crimes, a more intensive education and community service program should be required as part of their punishment. And this legislation should include a parental accountability program. Perhaps this could be included in existing hate crime laws that are on the books and proposed legislation.
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Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a prepared statement that one of the boys who attacked the Sikh student, 17-year-old Ahmed Umair, a Muslim, "is not accused of some schoolhouse prank, but an attack on the fundamental beliefs of his victim's religion and his freedom to worship freely." If convicted, this boy could serve up to seven years in prison.
After writing about this incident last week, I did some research about youth in America and hate crimes. I was saddened by what I learned. According to The National Youth Violence Resource Center, "almost two-thirds of all reported attacks are committed by individuals under the age of 24.and nearly a third are under 18." The center also reported that most victims of violent hate crimes are also young and that African-Americans, Jews, Arab-Americans and Muslims, new immigrants, lesbians, gay men, and women are some of the most frequently targeted groups.
Last week I asked: Where do kids learn this type of behavior? They are not born with hate in their hearts. Well, the answer is the same. It is learned and reinforced, either in the home or from some source or sources in the community. If the statistics listed above are true, then we can only conclude that the youth of America have some serious racial problems. It is clear from the statistics above that we'd better do something to address this problem because it will only get worse. It may be too late to save Ahmed Umair and the many other young folks who commit hate crimes. Their hearts may be too hardened and filled with hate. I hope and pray that this is not the case. However, we can try to save the rest.
What can we do? The work begins in the home. We have to expose our children to people from other faiths and cultural traditions, and teach them to honor and embrace differences. The school is the next place. School systems across the nation should be mandated to teach students to embrace the diversity that makes America great and unique. I know this work is being done at some level in our schools, but it needs to expanded and more intensive.
Teaching children about diversity in the schools is easy. However, we all know that if what they learn in school is not reinforced at home, we are fighting a losing battle. Now what do we do with the parents? Parental accountability is not new. There are many examples of parents being held accountable for children who break the law. Truancy and curfew violations are two prime examples. Why not hold the parents of children who commit hate crimes accountable? We should have mandatory education programs for those , and if their children continue to commit hate crimes, the parents should be subjected to harsher punishments.
I realize that some children may not have learned hatred and bigotry in their homes. Many kids may be giving into peer pressure or are influenced by other sources in their communities. But their parents are or should be responsible for where they go, what they do, and whom they associate with. So why not hold them accountable?
Maybe it's time for some national legislation that will fund and mandate programs for teaching children about the value of diversity and how hate crimes impact their community. In addition, if young people commit these crimes, a more intensive education and community service program should be required as part of their punishment. And this legislation should include a parental accountability program. Perhaps this could be included in existing hate crime laws that are on the books and proposed legislation.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.