Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 27 October 2023

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters. 

Increase in harassment against Jewish, Muslim Americans reported since Hamas attacks

“Muslim and Jewish civil rights groups say they’ve seen large increases in reports of harassment, bias and sometimes physical assaults against members of their communities since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.”

The ABC News article also reports 774 reports of bias against Muslims and 312 antisemitic acts.

Analyst Comments:

There are many indications that the elevated level of threats against communities of faith will continue.

In a related item, Human Rights Watch reports Israel-Palestine Hostilities Affect Rights in Europe; Combat Antisemitism, Islamophobia; Protect Democratic Protest, Expression. Incidents are continuing worldwide, which is an indication that they will continue in the U.S.

As was reported yesterday, the DHS and FBI Public Service Announcement warned that the Israel-Hamas conflict could encourage more hate crimes in the U.S.

Also, FB-ISAO has raised the Physical an Cyber Threat Levels to Elevated.

If not already done, Faith-Based Organizations should consider liaising with local law enforcement to learn of local and national threats, and specific methods to improve security of their facilities. Most law enforcement agencies will work with communities of faith to improve security. The federal government produced First_Responders_Toolbox_-_Threats_Against_Houses_of_Worship_Highlight_the_Importance_of_Religious_Community_Outreach.pdf (dni.gov) to assist law enforcement in reaching out to communities of faith.

FB-ISAO members are sharing information about threats, domestic protests, and security coordination activities in FB-ISAO Slack. Join here.

Good resources to improve security are on the FB-ISAO website, which has a Resource Library, with specific Physical Threat Security Resources.

Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) FY2024 Winter Webinar Series + DHS Protecting Places of Worship Resources

The DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partners bulletin provides a list of webinars on the  Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The bulletin also provides “4 Steps to Apply for a Nonprofit Security Grant”.

There are also resources for protecting houses of worship.

Analyst Comments:

While the current threat environment may eventually improve, Faith-Based Organizations will likely continue to be potential targets for hostile events. Faith-Based Organizations (FBO) should consider attending a Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) webinar and to be better informed on applying for a grant.