Ilhan Urges Administration to Create Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Muslim Racism
Washington, DC: Outspoken progressive Rep Ilhan Omar is urging the Biden administration to appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia, citing a surge in racism against Muslims around the world.
'We are seeing a rise in anti-Muslim hate in nearly every corner of the globe,' Omar wrote on Twitter . 'That's why we are leading a letter with [Rep Jan Schakowsky] calling for a special envoy to combat Islamophobia.'
In a letter addressed to State Secretary Antony Blinken, the Minnesota lawmaker and 23 other Democrats ask the State Department to create a role that mirrors its solution to combat anti-Semitism.
'It is past time for the United States to stand firmly in favor of religious freedom for all, and to give the global problem of Islamophobia the attention and prioritization it deserves,' the letter first obtained by CNN reads.
A White House official announced Tuesday that Biden will soon be nominating someone to serve as an ambassador to monitor and combat antisemitism after reports of hate crimes against Jews fueled by fighting between Israel and Hamas reached alarming levels.
The group of two dozen Democrats sent their request the same day.
In addition to a special envoy the lawmakers are also requesting that Blinken include data on state-sponsored Islamophobic violence in future annual human rights reports.
Omar, one of three Muslims in Congress, is leading the effort along with Illinois Democrat Rep. Jan Schakowsky.
Reps Karen Bass, Judy Chu and Jim McGovern have also signed on, as well as Rashida Tlaib - the only other Muslim woman to ever serve in Congress.
The progressive lawmakers urged Blinken to take a stand against 'persecution of Muslims manifesting itself around the world,' citing an April report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
'In addition to state-sponsored policies of Islamophobia, we have seen a disturbing rise in incidents of Islamophobic violence committed by individuals connected to larger transnational white supremacist networks, including but by no means limited to the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019 and the recent murder of a Muslim Canadian family in London, Ontario,' Democrats wrote.
The 2021 annual USCIRF report identified numerous countries including China and Russia that displayed 'patterns of mistreatment and human rights violation' against Muslim communities.
It also implicated US companies whose supply chains utilize forced labor from Uyghur and Turkic Muslims in China.
Another report, released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations shortly before the lawmakers made their demand, found an alarming uptick in hate crimes against Muslims that also coincided with the brief but violent conflict between Israel and Hamas in May.
Omar drew outrage from her Jewish colleagues when she called on Blinken to seek 'accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity' in June.
'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,' she wrote on Twitter.
Led by Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider, the group of 12 Democrats including Jerry Nadler wrote that 'Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided,' going on to say it 'at best discredits one's intended argument and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice.'
Omar later clarified that she was not making a 'moral comparison' between the groups. – Daily Mail Online
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Pakistanlink Homepage
