(WASHINGTON, D.C. – 5/25/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the Biden administration’s efforts to implement national strategies to confront various forms of bigotry, starting with the threat of anti-Semitism.
SEE: U.S.-National-Strategy-to-Counter-Antisemitism.pdf (whitehouse.gov)
The strategy’s factsheet notes CAIR as one of the many contributing organizations that provided the White House ongoing “commitments to counter antisemitism and build cross-community solidarity by organizations across the private sector, civil society, religious and multi-faith communities, and higher education.”
This year, CAIR plans to combat Islamophobia, antisemitism and other forms of hate by launching a summer tour of states, starting in the southeast, to educate religious minority communities about steps they can take to protect their houses of worship from hate incidents, such as appropriate security measures, developing strong relationships with other faith communities, and maintaining open lines of communication with local law enforcement. The tour is also meant to highlight the importance of reporting hate incidents after they occur so that civil rights groups and law enforcement have an accurate understanding of trends and hot spots related to hate. CAIR also plans to continue regularly tracking and condemning incidents of hate, including racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, and xenophobic incidents.
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We welcome President Biden’s commitment to confronting the threat of antisemitism, a dangerous and pervasive form of bigotry that has become even more widespread in recent years, largely due to the rise in extremist, far-right political leaders.
“We plan to continue working with our friends in the Jewish community to oppose the hate that threatens both of our communities, and we also look forward to the release of the White House’s strategic plans to confront other forms of bigotry, including Islamophobia.
“We also appreciate the White House’s use of language which makes clear that these national strategies should not be used to either infringe upon the constitutional guarantees of free speech or to conflate bigotry with human rights activism, including advocacy for Palestinian freedom and human rights.”
CAIR noted that the White House’s national strategy on anti-Semitism does not adopt the disputed IHRA definition of anti-Semitism as binding policy, does not express support efforts to silence free speech such as the right to engage in BDS, and does not declare that criticism of or opposition to the Israeli occupation is inherently anti-Semitic, as some civil and human rights groups feared the strategy would.
As the strategy states, “When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or their identity, when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism. And that is unacceptable.” Emphasis added.
This clear distinction based on the motivation for criticism of Israel highlights the administration’s commitment to combating antisemitism while safeguarding free speech and the right to engage in human rights activism.
The strategy acknowledges “several definitions of antisemitism, which serve as valuable tools to raise awareness and increase understanding.”
The IHRA definition, criticized by CAIR and many Jewish and Palestinian American groups, as well as domestic and international human rights organizations, is seen as potentially conflating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism, limiting free speech on Palestinian human rights.
The strategy also recognizes the clearer “Nexus Document,” written by a group of academics.
CAIR also notes while the group voices its support for the White House’s overall national strategy combat antisemitism, it continues to maintain its long-held position of opposing Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) legacy programs – which have a history of profiling and encouraging the surveillance of American Muslims, and other minority communities – like DHS’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program (TVTP) and Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3).
CAIR commends the Biden Administration for its leadership and proactive approach in countering hate and discrimination and encourages continued collaboration between communities to foster a society built on respect, understanding, and solidarity.
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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For more information, email: info@cair.com, CC ihooper@cair.com
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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, 202-742-6448, 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