The recent burning of several African American churches across the Southern US is deeply rooted in the white supremacist tradition which has an existential hatred for black people, a researcher and historian in Washington says.
“Burning the churches is like burning the soul of the people, it shows the genocidal hatred that many [white] people have,” said Dr. Randy Short, a member of the Black Autonomy Network Community Organization.
“We have a very strong Nazi, white-racialist movement in the United States, which has given life to the Nazis in Germany,” Mr. Short said in an interview with Press TV on Thursday.
At least eight churches have burnt down after a young white supremacist shot dead nine African-American worshipers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17.
The church burnings took place within just 10 days of one another, and three are being investigated as possible arson cases.
A coalition of Muslim groups has launched an online fundraiser to help rebuild the damaged black congregations.
“To many, it is clear that these are attacks on black culture, black religion and black lives,” the coalition wrote on the campaign’s LaunchGood page.
“It’s Ramadan, and we are experiencing firsthand the beauty and sanctity of our mosques during this holy month. All houses of worship are sanctuaries, a place where all should feel safe,” it added.
Dr. Short said that Christianity was introduced to African Americans by white Christian clergy to make them subservient “slaves” and for them to lose their Muslim roots.
“The very origin of the Christianization of black people was to make them better slaves and to strip them of their Islamic origins, such as my family,” he noted.
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