Enthusiastic Sobriety Religious Discrimination Support
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Talking to Kids About Hate Crimes and Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is difficult for adults to understand. No one wants to have to have a discussion with their children that people dislike them just for being Jewish or attending a Jewish place of worship or community center. However, given recent events and a rise in anti-Semitic comments, discussing this lets your children know that you are willing to talk about difficult topics with them. Sometimes, the answer may be: “I don’t understand fully why some people don’t like us/our Jewish friends, but it is never OK to say hurtful things to others.” Help children and teens come up with a response should anyone say or do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. Help them identify adults whom they can trust should something be said or done when you are not around.
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Supporting Muslim Teens in the Face of Islamophobia
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reports 53% of Muslim school-aged children in California said they have been “made fun of, verbally insulted or abused.” Nationally, 42% of Muslim children reported being bullied, according to the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. By comparison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 19% of all high school students say they have been bullied at school.
Incidents of bias and violence against Muslims in the U.S. spiked in 2017, with 2,599 reports of violence, harassment and discrimination, according to a study by CAIR, which has been tracking the trend since 2014.
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Empowering Jewish Youth to Respond to Anti-Semitism
The manifestations of anti-Semitism that Jewish youth in the U.S. experience on a daily basis today include crude remarks and slurs, demeaning jokes and comments based on anti-Semitic stereotypes, as well as anti-Semitic graffiti, including swastikas, scrawled across the walls of buildings and the desks in their schools. Occasionally, news reports in their communities may also make them aware of hate incidents motivated by anti-Semitism, such as the desecration of a Jewish synagogue or cemetery.
Learning to confront anti-Semitism requires commitment, knowledge, motivation and skills. Effective response strategies do not always come naturally.
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Largest Survey on Nonreligious Americans Reveals Widespread Discrimination and Stigma
“The struggles of nonreligious Americans are far too often overlooked. Thankfully, the U.S. Secular Survey has revealed the discrimination our community regularly faces,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “With that well-established, we need to find solutions and work toward ending the stigma faced by our community.”
The report found that involvement with organized secular community groups is an important protective factor that correlated with reduced likelihood of loneliness and depression. Members of national secular organizations were 34.8% less likely than non-members to be at risk for depression, while members of local secular groups were 29.3% less likely.
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How Religious Bullying Impacts Teens
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Although the research on religious bullying is minimal, it has become apparent over the last several years that this type of bullying is becoming more prevalent.
In fact, an informal study conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that more than one-third of teachers polled have seen an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment. Meanwhile, several other reports also indicate a rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Sikh bullying. This is largely due to a perceived association between their religious heritage and terrorism, especially after 9/11.
For instance, Muslim families have suffered because of a fanatical minority within their faith. Even though these children have nothing to do with terrorist activity, they can feel the brunt of religious bullying from their peers.
Keep in mind that anyone can be bullied because of their religious beliefs. People also are bullied because they are Catholic or Mormon. Atheists can be bullied for not believing in God. Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh students especially get bullied because of mixes of antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia.
Many times, religious bullying results because of preconceived ideas or a lack of understanding about the differences between religions. These differences can include everything from beliefs, fasting, and prayer practices to the type of clothing they wear. Bullies point to these differences as a reason to harass and target the victim.
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Because religious bullying is often severe, faith leaders worry that bullying hinders a teen's spiritual development and growth. It also may cause them to question their faith and beliefs. No teenager should ever feel like they deserves to be bullied because they hold a different set of beliefs.
Most would agree that regardless of a person's religious beliefs, they should be allowed to embrace and pursue their faith in peace. After all, a teen's religion is just as much a part of them as their nationality, appearance, intelligence, skills, and interests.
As a result, their religion should never lead to them being targeted, bullied, and ostracized. Every teen should be allowed to worship how they want without being afraid of being bullied for their beliefs.
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Whether an urban, diverse community, Democratic or Republican-leaning, or a more homogenous, rural one — the observed discrimination against religious minorities was consistent. That suggests that religious discrimination can occur anywhere, that it’s not reflective of geography or political ideology.
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Prioritize Discussions About Different Religions
Begin by talking to your teen about any misconceptions they have about particular religions. Sometimes bullying occurs because teens do not understand or are fearful about certain religious beliefs, which can cause prejudicial bullying. But if you discuss differences openly and honestly, teens will become more accepting and tolerant of those that are different than they are.
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Dealing with religious bullying can be particularly painful because it attacks teens at the core of who they are. As a result, it is not uncommon for victims of religious bullying to experience stress, anxiety, and even depression. In severe cases, they may even contemplate suicide. As a result, it is crucial that you take steps to help your child heal from religious bullying.
The more that religious bullying is exposed and challenged, the less often it will occur in the social environments. Fighting prejudicial bullying on all fronts gives teens a greater incentive to speak out against bullying and tackle the problem rather than standing silently on the sidelines.
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Here Now
HereNow is a teen-led online and in-person initiative promoting mental health, well-being, and resilience through innovative content and creativity.
We provide a platform and network for Jewish teens to meet, share what matters to them, and get their friends and peers to join the conversation. The more open teens are about their feelings and challenges, the more open their friends, classmates, and families are likely to be about theirs.
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Naseeha Mental Health Hotline
Call or Text 1 (866) 627-3342
7 days a week we answer calls from around the world from Muslim and non-muslims. Naseeha Mental Health has been a great bridge for individuals who are going through life’s challenges. Where hope is lost, Naseeha is found. We provide a safe zone for youths and individuals to talk and get the help they need. We provide workshops to youth across North America, web therapy sessions, and offer texting mental health support 7 days a week.
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Celebrate Recovery
Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered, 12 step recovery program for anyone struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling our life.
Celebrate Recovery is not a replacement for professional counseling, therapy, and/or medical treatment. We provide encouragement and support to supplement those efforts. Living one day at a time, one moment at a time, implementing the 7 Principles and 12 steps, it is possible to live in peace and joy.
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LifeRing Secular Recovery
LifeRing Secular Recovery is an organization of people who share practical experiences and sobriety support. There are as many ways to live free of illicit or non-medically indicated drugs and alcohol as there are stories of successful sober people. Most people find that LifeRing’s emphasis on the positive, practical present-day can turn anger and despair into hope and resolve. LifeRing respectfully embraces what works for each individual.
Combating Hate Speech and Violence
What is needed is for all citizens around the world to educate themselves about the field of social psychology, hypnosis, and influence psychology. Learning will help protect ourselves and our loved ones and it will give us the tools to correctly identify what is really going on. It is a fact that human beings can be persuaded to adopt beliefs and participate in actions contrary to who they fundamentally are. While it is true that there are risk factors that make some people more susceptible, such as insecure attachment, high suggestibility, high compliance, high hypnotizability to name a few, everyone is situationally vulnerable during their lives. These heightened moments of vulnerability include the ages of 17-25 when people are forming an adult identity, the death of a loved one, trauma, a break-up of an important relationship, leaving a destructive cult, moving to a new city, state or country, and others. The universal vulnerability is believing incorrectly that you are invulnerable to undue influence (otherwise called mind control). Not learning how the mind works, along with how influencers can disrupt your mind and infiltrate and program it, is the greatest vulnerability.
Tell Your Story
Share your story to help other survivors feel heard, seen and understood. We aim to expose the consistent patterns of abuses in Enthusiastic Sobriety Programs and prevent potential families from years of suffering from undue influence and abuse. These survivor testimonies can be submitted anonymously by former group members, staff and parents.