social justice

SOCIAL JUSTICE
Name
Institution
Religious hate crime
Hate crimes have been defined as offensive acts that when perceived by the victim seems to be caused by the offender’s prejudicial thoughts against a specific group. As such, religious hate crime can be defined as an offensive act done by offenders against victims based on their religious beliefs or affiliations.
The issues surrounding hate crimes have been around since the late 1900s. However, this is not to mean that hate crimes did not exist even before then. Historical records show that religious persecution, as would be termed at the time was perpetrated by governments and individuals thought to have the power to do so. The word hate crime had not come into play then. The attack against the Jews by the Nazi is a case point in a time when Adolf Hitler was seeking power and glory. This is a good example of religious hate crime. Additionally, the persecution of Christians in the middle ages by the Roman Empire is also an example that proves that the issues around religious hate crimes have been around for a while. The same still exists in some countries which consider Christianity as a form of rebelling against ideologies and common beliefs. Such crime is not limited to Christianity only but extends to the Muslims too.
Statistics from the data put out by the United States Department of Justice show that a substantial percentage of Jews were persecuted between the years 2003 and 2011. This is clear indication that even with civilization, religious hate crimes continue to persist and the perpetrators of which are not being punished for the same.

Hate crime in the United States was recognized during the 1900s when there was widespread discrimination on African Americans. The black community was constantly targeted for crimes they had not committed. Lynching was the main offensive act that was done against black men. Many of them died for mistakes they had not committed but only by virtue of the fact that they were black. Racism still exists to date, but the main point is that the face of hate crime has changed over the years in the United States. It is no longer just about race, but also about religion, sexual orientation among other things.
Religious hate crime as had been defined earlier is the perpetration of offensive acts against a group of people or a single individual on the basis of their religious beliefs or alignment. The United States is currently facing a big problem concerning hate crimes. Studies show that even with the enactment of the various laws against hate crimes, there has been an increase of the said crimes. The FBI report on hate crime statistics in 2007 shows that up to 18% of all hate crimes perpetrated against people are religious hate crimes. This has however been disputed in that any argue that the statistics underrate the real situation on the ground.
Targets of religious hate crime
Religious hate crimes do not choose gender, age, political affluence, economic affluence or such other things. Anyone can be a victim or a perpetrator of the crimes. Victimization from religious hate crime is often characterized by the environment one lives in.The FBI Hate Crime statistics of 2012 show that the targets of religious hate crime account for up to 18% of the total population facing hate crime. Of the said percentage, those that are mostly targeted are the Jews. This is not to overlook the fact that other religious groups also face hate crime, for instance, Muslims, Catholics and the like.
It is, however, crucial to take note of the fact that Jews are the major targets of religious hate crime. There is a bigger chance for them to be attacked due to their religion as compared to other groups. A victim of religious hate crime is not necessarily an individual that proclaims the said faith of beliefs in the ideas that may lead to him or her being attacked. A victim can be anyone who is perceived to be of the religion that the offender is prejudiced against. This is to mean that the scope of the definition of who a victim of a religious hate crime is not limited to the actual beliefs of the victim.
Offenders
A religious hate crime perpetrator can be anyone that is prejudicial against certain ideals. One can be defined as an offender in this context if he is prejudicial, reluctant to understand matters that are different from what he believes and goes ahead to act out against the people he does not “like.”
Offensive acts range from bullying, verbal abuse, threats, property damage and can even extend to physical attacks. A most recent example of religious hate crime is online bullying, commonly known as cyberbullying. The invention of social media sites has brought with it the freedom to which people have to attack others based on their religion without identifying themselves.
Impact on the general United States population
Just like all other hate crimes, religious hate crimes have had the effect of instilling fear in people. The victims of such offenses prefer to keep quiet about them and detach themselves from the society. As a result, the offenders that are not reported keep up with their acts, affecting, even more, people. In the same vein, the increase in the number of people standing up against religious hate crimes has been observed, those that have ensured that those affected are protected and the offenders put in jail. This has also been made possible by the laws enacted to criminalize hate crime.
The media and other people have ensured that people are sensitized about religious hate crimes to increase their knowledge in the same to protect the vulnerable in the society. Additionally, the media has also ensured that it advocates for victims of such hate crime to come out and report the incidents to the relevant authorities.
In conclusion, it is clear that religious hate crime is a menace to the society that affects all individuals regardless of race, gender or age. The effect it has on the victims and the general population is an indication that more ought to be done to either limit it or do away with it.