US President Joe Biden
The US White House has announced the first national strategy to combat Islamophobia. The strategy outlines more than 100 steps that federal officials can take to prevent hate, violence, bias, and discrimination against Muslims and Arab Americans.
Growing hatred and discrimination among American Jews
The proposal follows a similar national plan to fight anti-Semitism. It was introduced by President Joe Biden in May 2023 as concerns grew about rising hatred and discrimination among American Jews.
Trump has the responsibility to implement these
White House officials worked for months on the anti-Islamophobia plan. It was released on Thursday, five weeks before Biden leaves office. This means that if his administration wants to do so, much of the responsibility for implementing it will fall to the next President Donald Trump.
Threats increase against American Muslim and Arab communities
In a statement announcing the strategy, the Biden administration said the initiative has become even more important over the past year as threats against American Muslim and Arab communities have increased. It said this includes the October 2023 murder of six-year-old Wadi Alfayoumi, a Palestinian-American Muslim boy who was stabbed to death in Illinois. The plan provides detailed information about actions that can be taken by the executive branch. There have also been over 100 other calls to action across all sectors of society.
To comprehensively improve the safety and security of Muslims
The strategy has four basic priorities. It aims to raise awareness of hatred against Muslims and Arabs and to widely recognize the legacies of these communities. There is a need to comprehensively improve their safety and security. To appropriately accommodate Muslim and Arab religious practices by working to prevent discrimination against them. To encourage solidarity between communities to combat hatred.
Muslims and Arab Americans help in nation building
The strategy’s announcement said individuals are sometimes targeted because they are believed to be Muslim. It is also important to recognize that Arabs are routinely targeted simply because of who they are. Noting that Muslims and Arab Americans have helped build the nation since its founding.
It says new data collection and education efforts are raising awareness of these forms of hate as well as the proud heritages of Muslim and Arab Americans. The plan calls for more widely disseminating successful practices in involving Muslims and Arab Americans in the reporting of hate crimes.
Trump registered victory in Muslim dominated areas
Donald Trump implemented a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries during his first term. Trump won the largest Muslim-majority American city in last month’s elections. Subsequently, some Arab Americans who support Trump have begun to express concerns about some of his choices to fill his Cabinet and other selections for his incoming administration.
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