AUSTIN, Texas — As war continues to rage in the Middle East between Israel and Gaza, many in the U.S. are also feeling the effects. Some in Central Texas say antisemitism and Islamophobia have started to become themes they’re having to face.
In Round Rock, one Palestinian-Egyptian family is still processing everything as it unfolds. For the Mahmoud family, they are hyper-aware.
"I remember being under the age of 10 and being at protests for Palestine. This has always been a problem, ever since I was a child," Noon Mahmoud said.
Noon Mahmoud, a Round Rock High School grad, and her younger sister, Mysoor Mahmoud, a sophomore at the school, say although things are intense right now, they value hearing all viewpoints from their peers.
"You can see both sides from through your phone screen or through your eyes, seeing the person you are seeing, hearing about it, walking away from lunch or just in the halls," Mysoor Mahmoud said.
Mysoor Mahmoud said she recently noticed a message from one of her peers on social media. She said the peer told her she was uneducated for her support of Palestine. But she said the discourse was productive – until it wasn't.
"It was a very educated, non-aggressive conversation. And then, at the end, I don't remember what I said, but it kind of just flipped completely. It went from non-aggressive to completely aggressive," Mysoor Mahmoud said.
She said she was cursed at and called names – something her sister, Noon Mahmoud, said she was shocked and angered to see.
"I went there my entire high school career, and nothing like this ever happened," Noon Mahmoud said.
Although this heated debate stopped, the Mahmouds say things like this can end up much worse.
KVUE reached out to Round Rock High School for a statement on the alleged bullying. Round Rock ISD Superintendent Dr.Hafedh Azaiez sent a message to the entire Round Rock ISD community, which included the following statement:
"I also want to be clear that we deeply value the beautiful diversity of our Round Rock ISD community. We are committed to creating and nurturing an inclusive environment where cultural diversity is valued. We will not tolerate bullying or hateful and divisive comments and actions. We will do everything possible to ensure our campuses remain a safe and nurturing place for every student.
"To be clear we support students' freedoms of speech and expression and will not tolerate bullying, hate speech or threats of any kind. Our teachers, counselors and administrators are vigilant in monitoring for this type of behavior and we would ask anyone experiencing any type of bullying or harassment to report it to a teacher or administrator. We are also asking our students to look out for each other and let campus administration know if they see any type of bullying, threatening or harassing behavior."
As this war continues, it's also led to acts of antisemitism and hate speech.
"When the rhetoric gets ugly enough and heated enough, it's not that far a jump to take action, which is why you have to be careful," said Rabbi Steven Folberg with Congregation Beth Israel.
Folberg knows that all too well, as his synagogue was victim to an arson attack almost two years ago that burned the main doors and damaged the sanctuary inside. Congregation Beth Israel increased security to deal with a rise in antisemitism and hate crimes.
Folberg said antisemitism has always been a problem, but the war in the Middle East is heightening it worldwide. He said to see both Jewish and Muslim Texans try and navigate this time is hard, but hate solves nothing.
"I don't think that we accomplish anything constructive by tearing at each other. And there is no excuse for bullying a child whose familial ties or religion or ancestry make them sympathetic to and then advocate for the Palestinians," Folberg said.
Both Folberg and the Mahmouds said keeping conversations open and hate out is most important right now.