(WASHINGTON, DC – 11/2/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today responded to the White House’s announcement that it will begin developing a National Strategy to Combat Islamophobia by calling on the administration to first counter the ongoing surge in Islamophobia by ending U.S. support for the Israeli government’s massacre of civilians in Gaza and the dehumanizing anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim rhetoric that is fueling bigotry around the world.
Yesterday, the White House announced that government agencies will begin the process of developing a national strategy to address anti-Muslim bigotry. The administration previously released a National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism.
SEE: Statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on President Biden’s Establishment of First-Ever National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia
In a statement, CAIR Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“The first and most important step President Biden must take to combat surging Islamophobia is the step that American Muslim leaders and organizations have repeatedly called on him to take: demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Islamophobia is surging in America as a result of the Israeli government’s ongoing massacre of civilians in Gaza and the dehumanizing, racist and Islamophobic rhetoric used by American officials, politicians, corporations, and media personalities to justify the murder of innocent Palestinians as the price of war.
“Ending U.S. support for the Israeli government’s bombardment of Gaza is critical to both saving lives there and reducing the threat of Islamophobia here at home. Nothing is more important to the American Muslim community at this moment than a ceasefire, and nothing will be more impactful in the fight against surging Islamophobia.”
“The development of a national strategy to combat anti-Muslim bigotry is an important step that can make a positive impactif it involves an inclusive process with all stakeholders in the American Muslim community and tackles institutional Islamophobia within the government, such as the watchlist. But first and foremost, we need a ceasefire. The American Muslim community will accept nothing less.”
Over the past year, CAIR has repeatedly met with White House officials alongside other American Muslim organizations to discuss the importance of addressing governmental Islamophobia, including the watchlist, mass surveillance, spying on mosques, and discriminatory abuses at the border.
In May, CAIR attended a special White House listening session on American Muslim domestic priorities, including concerns related to Islamophobia. During the meeting, CAIR reiterated its long-standing concerns about the unconstitutional and discriminatory federal watchlist. CAIR specifically called on the White House to fulfill President Biden’s campaign pledge to initiate a DHS review of the watchlist and no-fly-list and improve the processes to remove names.
CAIR also highlighted the Secret Service’s revoking of New Jersey Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah’s invitation to the White House’s Eid al Fitr-celebration as an example of the harm caused by the watchlist.
SEE:White House Readout of Listening Session on Islamophobia
SEE: PHOTO OF EVENT
CAIR concluded by calling for evidence-based, rather than identity-based, non-discriminatory security solutions that provide due process protections consistent with our nation’s laws and values.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-999-8292, 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