(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/1/21) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today thanked Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for co-sponsoring the H.R. 5665, the Combating International Islamophobia Act.
On Friday, Oct. 29, Chairman Meeks became the 36th member of Congress to co-sponsor Congresswomen Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Jan Schakowsky’s (D-IL) Combating International Islamophobia Act (H.R. 5665) – legislation to establish a special envoy office at the U.S. State Department to monitor and combat international Islamophobia.
“CAIR welcomes Chairman Meeks’ co-sponsorship of the Combating International Islamophobia Act and thanks him for taking this important step in monitoring and combating anti-Muslim state policies and discrimination across the globe,” said CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw. “Advancing the Combating International Islamophobia Act is one of the top priorities of the American Muslim community in promoting religious freedom.”
With Chairman Meek’s co-sponsorship of the Combatting International Islamophobia Act, the legislation is more likely to receive a hearing and mark-up in the House Foreign Affairs Committee this spring.
The bill is also co-sponsored by Reps. Karen Bass (D-CA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Albio Sires (D-NJ), who are subcommittee chairs of the Foreign Relations Committee.
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The measure would compel the State Department to develop a more comprehensive approach to fighting the global increase of Islamophobia, increasing its capacity to monitor and confront state and non-state actors worldwide, ensuring a safer environment for American Muslims.
The two primary aims of the Combatting International Islamophobia Act are:
1) Establishing an Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia at the State Department headed by a Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia.
2) Amending the Foreign Assistance Act and International Religious Freedom Act to require annual reporting on Islamophobia in each foreign country and the steps taken by that country to combat it through educational programing and public awareness initiatives.
The United States currently monitors and combats religious persecution internationally. The Combatting International Islamophobia Act would extend this mission to Islamophobia. The act would also provide valuable information for understanding Islamophobia as a global phenomenon and give the U.S. a new tool to combat it.
In January, the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations also sent a letter to the Biden Administration calling on the State Department to establish the special envoy position.
Background on the Campaign to Establish a Special Envoy for Combatting and Monitoring Islamophobia
On July 21, Representatives Ilhan Omar, Jan Schakowsky, Judy Chu, Andre Carson, and Sara Jacobs (D-CA) joined CAIR for a press conference on Capitol Hill to publicly announce that 23 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to create a special envoy position for combatting and monitoring Islamophobia as instances of anti-Muslim hate crimes continue to rise in the U.S. and worldwide.
The press conference highlighted CAIR’s 2021 Mid-Year Snapshot Summary Report of Anti-Muslim Bias Incidents, which found over 500 complaints of anti-Muslim hate and bias between January and July 2021 and highlights 38 anti-Muslim bias incidents that include hate crimes, harassment, school bullying, discrimination, hate speech, and anti-mosque incidents.
In its 2021 annual report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) identified three Countries of Particular Concern primarily for their treatment of Muslims. Several additional countries listed by USCIRF were identified as having patterns of mistreatment and human rights violations against either their entire Muslim populations or particular sects of Muslims. This includes several Muslim-majority countries.
State acts of persecution and violence against Muslims can be found in India and Burma – in addition to the United States recognizing China’s genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic and religious minority groups who live in the Uyghur region of China. Anti-Muslim rhetoric, bigotry and acts of violence also go together with the rise of political parties that outwardly attack the rights of Muslims, especially in France and other parts of Europe.
Transnational white supremacist and Islamophobic hate group networks have also inspired their followers to commit acts of anti-Muslim violence and terrorism, including but not limited to the recent murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario over the summer and the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shootings.
CAIR believes that in a world where anti-Muslim rhetoric and bigotry spreads quickly on online platforms and repressive state policies, a global approach is necessary to combat it.
The Combating International Islamophobia Act is endorsed by more than 30 national organizations, including:
American Muslim Empowerment Network (AMEN), American Muslims for Palestine, Americans for Peace Now, Arizona Muslim Alliance, Center for Victims of Torture, Church World Service, Common Defense, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), Human Rights First, ICNA Council for Social Justice (ICNA CSJ), IfNotNow, International Islamophobia Studies Research Association, Islamophobia Studies Center, Islamophobia Studies Journal, Jetpac Resource Center, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Libyan American Alliance, MPower Change, Muslim American Society, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), National Immigration Law Center, Oxfam America, Poligon Education Fund, Revolutionary Love Project, Secure Justice, South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), Together We Serve, U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries, and Veterans For Peace.
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, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com