Bloody, beheaded doll left outside Ohio home flying Palestinian flag, group says

A beheaded doll was discovered outside an Ohio home flying a Palestinian flag in a possible hate crime, according to a non-profit.

The headless doll — which appears to be covered in fake blood — was found staked in the yard of a home in Sylvania, a Toledo suburb, on Nov. 7, according to a news release from the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

It was placed directly beneath a Palestinian flag flying from a tree, a photo shows.

The residents of the home reported the incident to the Sylvania Police Department, which “advised the family to be careful,” according to CAIR. According to the organization, CAIR “seeks to empower American Muslims and encourage their participation in political and social activism.”

A representative for the Sylvania Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

“We call on state, local and federal law enforcement authorities to monitor and investigate crimes related to the rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism,” Faten Odeh, the executive director of CAIR-Cleveland, said in the release.

“We hope the Sylvania Police Department will do its due diligence in collecting all the information they need to identify the perpetrator and to consider bringing a hate crime charge,” Odeh said. “We should all feel safe in our neighborhoods and be able to display our heritage without fear of hate-filled retaliation from our neighbors.”

The incident follows a dramatic increase in both anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic actions and rhetoric reported in recent weeks.

On Nov. 9, CAIR reported an “unprecedented” spike in complaints of anti-Arab or anti-Muslim bias.

The Anti-Defamation League, on Oct. 24, reported a 388% increase in incidents of harassment, assault and vandalism against Jews from the same period last year.

The ADL describes itself as “speak(ing) out against antisemitism, extremism, hate and bigotry, discrimination and injustice.”

The uptick in these reported incidents follows the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in early October after Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, according to the BBC, citing Israeli officials. In response, the Israeli military laid siege to Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, killing over 11,000 Palestinians, according to the outlet, citing Palestinian health officials.

The ongoing siege and bombardment of Gaza, home to over 2 million Palestinians, half of whom are children, has been called a “crisis of humanity” by the U.N. secretary general, who has called for a cease-fire.

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