The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, submitted a detailed written statement for inclusion in the official record of today’s U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “A Threat to Justice Everywhere: Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America.”
CLICK HERE: READ CAIR’S STATEMENT
CLICK HERE: TO WATCH THE HEARING
CAIR’s statement highlights alarming statistics on the rise of Islamophobic hate crimes, discrimination, and violence against American Muslims and Palestinians, particularly in the wake of Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and its expanding occupation and violence in the West Bank. The submission details disturbing incidents, including the brutal murder of six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadee AlFayoumi in Chicago, the firing of Muslim employees, policies of discrimination targeting students, and offers recommendations for addressing systemic discrimination and strengthening legislative protections for Muslim, Palestinian, and allied communities.
CAIR’s statement also calls for the adoption of H.Con.Res. 99 & S.Res.589, which honors Wadee AlFayoumi’s memory and recognizes his death as a hate crime targeting his Palestinian-Muslim identity.
CAIR has been working in collaboration with the Muslim Civic Coalition, one of the groups leading efforts to secure this hearing. CAIR plans to send staff to attend and observe the hearing in person and encourages the Muslim community to watch the hearing live online today at 10 AM ET.
CAIR’s Director of Government Affairs Robert S. McCaw, who authored CAIR’s statement for the record, said:
“The Council on American-Islamic Relations commends the Senate Judiciary Committee for holding this crucial hearing on ‘A Threat to Justice Everywhere: Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America.’ We are gravely concerned about the rise in violent and deadly threats targeting American Muslims and Palestinian advocates, alongside ongoing efforts in Congress to undermine our communities’ rights to speak freely, protest, and boycott in defense of human rights, especially Palestinian human rights. We urge Congress to take decisive action to protect civil liberties, address systemic discrimination, and ensure the safety of all Americans.”
The statement draws on findings from CAIR’s latest civil rights reports, including the 2024 Civil Rights Report: Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate, which documents a 56 percent increase in Islamophobic incidents in 2023, and Hostile: How Universities Target Anti-Genocide Protesters While Enabling Anti-Palestinian Racism and Islamophobia, which outlines widespread discrimination against students and faculty advocating for Palestinian human rights on college campuses.
From January to June 2024, CAIR documented 4,951 incoming bias complaints nationwide, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2023.
SEE: New CAIR Data Shows Anti-Muslim, Anti-Palestinian Hate Remain Elevated in First Half of 2024
In 2022, CAIR submitted a similar written statement for the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing on “Discrimination and the Civil Rights of the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian American Communities.”
SEE:CAIR Submits Statement to House Judiciary Committee Hearing on ‘Discrimination and the Civil Rights of the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian American Communities‘
In 2019, CAIR also submitted a written statement for the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on “Hate Crimes and the Rise of White Nationalism.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw, 202-716-6242, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com