The Biden administration faced a backlash on Wednesday after announcing that it would develop “the first US National Strategy to Combat Islamophobia” in the US amid rising levels of antisemitism.
The White House’s focus on combating Islamophobia comes a day after both the arrest of a 21-year-old “Hamas fighter” in New York who allegedly threatened to kill and rape Jews at Cornell University and FBI Director Christopher Wray told senators that antisemitism is reaching “historic levels” in US following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
“For years, Muslims in America and those who identify as Muslims have experienced a disproportionate number of hate-motivated attacks,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a video posted on X.
“As a result of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we have seen an increase in anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents across America,” he added, referring to the brutal killing of six people. a one-year-old Palestinian American boy in Chicago last month.
The Biden administration came under fire after saying it would develop “the first US National Strategy to Combat Islamophobia.” Reuters
Harris stated that the plan – still in the works – would aim to “protect Muslims and those who are perceived as Muslims from hatred, bigotry and violence. And to address concerns that some government policies may discriminate against Muslims.”
The White House initiative also comes a day after a survey commissioned by the Arab American Institute found President Biden’s support among Arab-Americans plummeted to just 17% after supporting Israel’s war on Hamas.
In contrast, 40% of Arab-American respondents said they would vote for former President Donald Trump.
Canadian professor Gad Saad, who referred to the statistics Wray presented to senators on Tuesday, was one of many who took to social media to express dismay at the Biden administration’s anti-Islamophobia announcement.
Vice President Kamala Harris said since the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, America has seen “an increase in anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents.” X / @VP
“Following [FBI] director, Jews make up 2.4% of the US population but are the target of 60% of hate crimes. This is why it seems important to fight Islamophobia according to the White House,” Saad, who was born into a Jewish family in Lebanon, wrote on X.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who has called for the deportation of foreigners who express support for Hamas, was also surprised by the announcement.
“After the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and the outbreak of pro-Hamas activism on campus, the White House claims *Islamophobia* is our number one concern,” the Arkansas Republican tweeted.
Senator Tom Cotton called for the deportation of foreigners who expressed support for Hamas. CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
Blake Beye, a member of the Hillsboro, Kan., City Council, called the broadcast “tone deaf” in the face of rising antisemitism.
“This is one of the most tone-deaf posts I have ever seen on this platform,” Beye said in response to the vice president’s video message. “The amount of hatred I have seen against the Jewish community and the state of Israel over the past month sickens and breaks my heart. Read the room, dear.”
Conservative writer Mark Hemingway argued that the launch of the strategy signals that Democrats may be worried about losing the swing state of Michigan, which has the nation’s second-largest Arab American population, to Republicans in 2024.
The message is part of the disturbing hate associated with the Cornell campus after the Hamas attack.X/cbouzy
“Besides the fact that this is a slap in the face to American Jews who are the real victims of hate crimes, the good news for Republicans is that Michigan must play,” Hemingway told X.
Echoing many on social media, conservative radio talk show host Tammy Bruce criticized the timing of the Biden administration’s announcement.
“Timing is everything and that in itself is a statement,” tweeted Bruce. “This is because Jews are being threatened, hunted, and attacked all over the world. Tells you everything you need to know about the moral depravity and corruption of the Democratic Party and especially the people in the White House.”
A New York State Police Department cruiser is parked in front of Cornell University’s Center for Jewish Living, in Ithaca, New York, on Oct. 30, 2023. AP
“Shame on them,” he added.
The Biden administration launched a series of actions on Monday aimed at combating rising antisemitism at colleges and universities following a series of anti-Israel demonstrations.
Under the plan, the Department of Justice and Homeland Security will work with campus and local police to track hate-related rhetoric online and provide federal resources to schools — and the Department of Education will host a webinar on how to file a report.
In May, the White House released a 60-page strategy to combat antisemitism in the US, but it has been criticized by some Jewish and anti-hate groups who argue that the Biden administration chose a diluted definition of the term “antisemitism” that does not say it is antisemitic. to oppose the creation of Israel or hold the Jewish state to a different standard than other nations.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
