WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Thursday (Dec 12) launched a long-awaited technique for countering anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate, up sharply because the begin of the Israel-Gaza battle, calling for pressing, continued work to cut back discrimination and bias.
The 64-page doc comes weeks earlier than the inauguration of former President Donald Trump, who imposed a journey ban on folks from some majority Muslim international locations throughout his first time period that Biden rescinded on his first day in workplace.
It mirrors a complete technique to struggle antisemitism launched by the White Home in September 2023, and comes greater than a 12 months after demise of six-year-old boy Wadea Al-Fayoume, stabbed by a person who focused him and his mom as a result of they had been Palestinian-American.
In a foreword to the technique, Biden referred to as the assaults on the Chicago boy and his mom “heinous acts” and famous a spike in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate crimes, discrimination and bullying that he referred to as improper and unacceptable.
“Muslims and Arabs need to dwell with dignity and luxuriate in each proper to the fullest extent together with all of their fellow People,” Biden wrote. “Insurance policies that lead to discrimination towards whole communities are improper and fail to maintain us secure.”
The Council on American Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, referred to as the technique “too little, too late” and faulted the White Home for not ending a federal watchlist and “no-fly” checklist that features many Arab and Muslim People.
The Trump transition staff had no fast touch upon the technique or whether or not it might help it.
Trump, who gained help from some Muslim voters offended about Biden’s help for Israel’s battle in Gaza, has mentioned he’ll ban entry to the US of anybody who questions Israel’s proper to exist and revoke visas of overseas college students who’re “antisemitic”.
Tensions between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian teams surged on some US campuses after the Oct 7 Hamas assaults in Israel, with human rights advocates warning of rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate.
