OUR TOWN
Campus
A Look into
religious Hate Crimes on
Story by Kyle Wilkinson | Photos by Kassandra Eller | Design by Sara Roach
You’re walking across campus to your next class. Amidst the many conversations that you pass, suddenly you hear a derogatory slur directed towards a particular religion. You may think this type of language is not normal and benign. But this type of attitude about different beliefs or worldviews is still common and in some instances, has even led to a criminal offense. CWU is a university with many students possessing different world views and beliefs. As a result, it can sometimes be difficult to understand your fellow peers and navigate your differences. The first stop in interpreting others’ lives is taking a look at how hate crimes play out on a college campus and how students can accommodate other beliefs.
Where Religious Bias Stems From You may be wondering why there is bias and conflict between different religious groups. “Religion obviously 14
WINTER 2020 | ISSUE TWO
is seen as one of those things that is of ultimate utmost importance,” says Jeffrey Dippmann, professor of Asian Studies and chair for the Philosophy and Religious Studies department. “If it’s true that there is life after death, if it’s true that there is some kind of eternal life, then how we live now is going to be … the theoretical factor in where we end up.” Dippmann believes that many people have a ‘subjective experience’ with religion. An experience that an individual has can make them feel that they need to share this experience with others. Where religious discrimination comes into play is when a person experiencing their own beliefs, cannot accept that someone else with a different belief can have the same kind of experience. “If you’re going to appeal to your subjective experience,” says Dippmann, “then everybody’s subjective experience should be treated equally.” Respecting other religions starts with knowing that someone practicing a different belief is
