Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced the first U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia.
It will be a “comprehensive and detailed plan created in partnership with communities to protect Muslims,” according to a White House official, which will be a “joint effort led by the Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council” “to protect Muslims, and those perceived to be Muslim because of their race, national origin, ancestry, or any other reason, from discrimination, hate, bigotry, and violence.
President Biden ran for office to restore the soul of our nation. He is unequivocal: there is no place for hate in America against anyone. Period,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Today, he and Vice President Harris are announcing that their Administration will develop the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia in the United States. We look forward to continuing our work with community leaders, advocates, members of Congress, and more to develop the strategy – which will be a joint effort led by the Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council – and counter the scourge of Islamophobia and hate in all its forms. For too long, Muslims in America, and those perceived to be Muslim, such as Arabs and Sikhs, have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks and other discriminatory incidents. We all mourn the recent barbaric killing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian American Muslim boy, and the brutal attack on his mother in their home outside Chicago.
Today’s announcement is the latest step as part of President Biden’s directive last year to establish an interagency group to increase and better coordinate U.S. Government efforts to counter Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and related forms of bias and discrimination within the United States. Moving forward, the President, Vice President, and our entire Administration will continue working to ensure every American has the freedom to live their lives in safety and without fear for how they pray, what they believe, and who they are.
The latest Middle East conflict involving Israel and Hamas with Palestinians trapped in the middle has brought more attention to attacks on US Muslims and Islamaphobia, but it would be inaccurate to suggest that Islamaphobia ever left.
The Trump presidency, which featured an attempt to ban Muslims from entering the United States, caused hate crimes against Muslims to spike.
Since 9/11, every president besides Trump has wrestled with the problem of Islamaphobia in the United States.
Only President Biden has gone so far as to implement a national strategy to counter Islamophobia.
As Trump is promising an even more extreme Muslim ban, Biden is using the power of the presidency to fight hate.
The leader of the Republican Party is enflaming hate, while the Democratic president is seeking to end it.
