A course
seeks ways to tackle Islamophobia
Thursday February 03, 2011 11:26:47 AM,
IANS
|
New York: To deal with
the spurt of hate crimes against Muslims that have seen a 17-fold
increase post 9/11 terror attacks in the US, a course will be
offered here to identify the issues that encourage such crimes.
Attacks on Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim have
"increased exponentially" not only in the US but also around the
world, say experts.
According to the FBI, there has been a 17-fold increase in such
crimes after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 in the US.
Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh American of Indian origin, was shot
dead Sep 15, 2001 outside his convenience store in Mesa, Arizona,
in one of the hate crimes.
Sodhi was consulting with landscapers in front of his store when
the driver of a pickup truck drew up to them and shot him dead.
Frank Roque, who was arrested for killing Sodhi, said: "I am a
patriot!"
Sodhi's brother was also shot and killed in an unrelated though
eerily parallel crime about a year later. Another brother of the
same family who continues to work at the convenience store is
routinely targeted for such hate speech as: "Go back to Iraq".
The American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) plans to focus
now on the issue as part of a course during the annual training of
its members at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers from Feb 28
to March 5.
On March 3, it will present the course: Islamophobia in a Post
9/11 World: Addressing General Insecurity and Mitigating Harm to
Anyone Appearing Muslim.
The course will identify the issues that underlie bias crimes such
as those against Muslims and anyone perceived to be Muslim, the
AGPA said in a statement.
It will highlight group interventions that can transform the
general insecurity that manifests as "Islamophobia" and bolster
the resiliency of communities that are victim to it, it said.
"This course is a significant and relevant offering as we approach
the anniversary of 9/11 and hold our meeting in New York in
partnership with the International Association of Group
Psychotherapy and Group Processes (IAGP)," said Jeffrey Kleinberg,
president of the AGPA.
"The challenging social issues that arise in complicated times
inevitably present themselves in groups and this training will
help group leaders address them in ways which benefit their
clients and their communities," Kleinberg said.
Four distinguished experts who have worked in post disaster bias
intervention will impart the course.
Siddharth Ashvin Shah, one of the educators who specialize in
behavioral medicine and medical director of Greenleaf Integrative
Strategies, has provided trauma consultation to vulnerable ethnic
groups, including Muslim youth, since 9/11.
Other experts are Razia F. Kosi, founder of the NGO Counselors
Helping (South) Asians/Indians Inc. (CHAI), Cindy Miller Aron,
mental health specialist at the Samaritan Mental Health in
Corvallis, Oregon and Nina K. Thomas, psychologist-psychoanalyst.
This course is a highlight of AGPA's 2011 Annual Training.
Entitled "Group as a Source of Resilience and Change", the meeting
attracts over 1,000 group therapists, researchers and scientists
from around the world.
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