The
launch of the anti-Islamophobia effort has been expected for
months. The administration in May released a national strategy
to combat antisemitism that also made a reference to countering
hatred against Muslims, but the effort gained momentum in the
wake of the ongoing deadly clash between Israel and Hamas in
Gaza.
WHAT IS IT?
The strategy, a joint effort led by the Domestic Policy Council
and the National Security Council, will seek to develop a plan
with stakeholders to protect Muslims, and those perceived to be
Muslim because of their race, national origin, and ancestry,
from discrimination, hate, bigotry, and violence, the White
House said.
"Today's announcement is the latest step... to establish an
interagency group to increase and better coordinate U.S.
government efforts to counter Islamophobia, antisemitism, and
related forms of bias and discrimination within the United
States," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a
statement.
CRIMES
An Illinois man was charged with hate crimes for stabbing a
6-year-old Muslim boy to death and wounding his mother in an
attack that targeted them for their religion and as a response
to the war between Israel and Hamas, officials and Muslim rights
activists said.
POLLS
A poll conducted by the Arab American Institute, released on
Tuesday, shows for the first time since its inception in 1997, a
majority of Arab Americans did not identify as Democrats.
Thirty-seven percent said they now identify as Democrats, 32% as
Republicans and 31% as independents.
Forty percent of those polled said they would vote for former
President Donald Trump, the likely Republican candidate in 2024,
up 5 percentage points from 2020.
The poll is the latest evidence that Biden's campaign for a
second term in office is rapidly losing Muslim and Arab American
support over his staunch support of Israel.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Rod Nickel)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|