February 28, 2025

by Mari Marks

Double standards. Hypocrisy. Inequity.

These words have come to define the lived experience of Muslim Americans and Americans of Middle Eastern descent in Florida. Law enforcement and the media use a separate standard in their reporting of crimes committed by White perpetrators, against Muslims and Arabs.

Last weekend, a man named Mordechai Brafman shot two men in a car seventeen times because he thought they were Palestinian, by his own confession. The two men, Jewish tourists from Israel, thought they were being shot at by someone in an antisemitic attack and even stated in a social media post “death to Arabs.”  You see the irony, yes?

Why does this lack of equity in law enforcement in Florida and the media continue? Why wasn’t the shooter in Miami accused of a terrorist act? Why weren’t experts on terrorism assessing the situation and analyzing the events? Why weren’t there questions of whether this was a singular event or if Mr. Brafman is part of a cabal of people targeting Palestinian Americans. Why haven’t the elected officials from the highest levels of government held press conferences to discuss their commitment to ensure Palestinians will be safe from Islamophobic attacks? Why don’t we have a law defining Islamophobia?

When a Muslim is a perpetrator of a crime, the public goes wild. The person is labeled a terrorist, assumptions are made of terrorism, commentators look for links to “terrorist organizations,” they ponder if it is part of a larger plan or attack, the suppositions go on and on. But when the perpetrator is white, or of another religion… crickets. This double standard, this hypocrisy, is seen repeatedly.

When the perpetrator is White, or a Christian, or Jewish, elected officials and media turn to “mental health emergencies” as is the case with Mr. Brafman’s attorney.

The Latino and Black communities have been experiencing this same injustice for generations. Last year, police were called to the scene of a crime in which a white dentist was threatening the lives of a Muslim family in Sarasota. First the police tried to pass it off as a first amendment issue, then when pressed, they filed the report with the information that a “black man from Jacksonville” was the perpetrator. Only recently were proper charges filed.

If the perpetrator of this crime had been Middle Eastern or Muslim, the headlines would be completely different, as would the uproar from elected officials. So why the discrepancy?

In fact, many of our current Florida elected officials have themselves used hate speech. Randy Fine routinely spews vile hatred at Muslims.

A councilman in Palm Bay City says “Muslims do not belong in this great nation.” Brian Mast describes himself as “anti-Muslim.” Can you even imagine if these same sentiments were pointed in the direction of Christians or Jewish people?? The outrage and condemnation would be swift and widely accepted.

In a 2018, APA published study conducted by researchers Mercier, Norris, and Shariff, data showed the perception by Americans and the media demonstrates a clear bias in favor of Christians or of other religions in relation to violent crimes.

Our elected officials at every level of government have spent the last 15 months saying any hateful lie they choose against Palestinians and Muslims. The very real threat of antisemitism is being watered down by false equivalencies, and Islamophobia can’t even be touched by policymakers who would address it. We know, we’ve tried.

It was up to the pressure of civil rights organizations to beg officials to recognize and name what happened. It took enormous media attention and pressure before the Miami crime was upgraded to a “hate crime.” We should not have to do law enforcement’s jobs for them.

Palestinian Americans or anyone who might “look” Palestinian are terrified for their lives. Moms are scared to drive and pick up their kids from school. Professionals are scared to drive to and from work. Why don’t we have a law defining Islamophobia as we do for Antisemitism? Why? Because our government has given full immunity to Israelis killing Palestinians as accepted, normal behavior.

The result? A man felt the freedom to shoot “Palestinians” on the streets of Miami with impunity.