(Washington) The Biden administration said Wednesday that it would develop a “national strategy to combat Islamophobia,” an announcement that takes on particular significance due to high tensions in the United States around the war between Israel and Hamas.
“There is no place in America for hatred, against anyone. Full stop,” commented White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre in a press release.
“For too long, Muslims in America, and those perceived to be Muslims, Arabs and Sikhs in particular, have suffered a disproportionate number of hate attacks and other discrimination,” she lamented.
The strategy to combat Islamophobia must be developed in conjunction with the communities concerned, activists and parliamentarians.
Karine Jean-Pierre recalls in particular the recent “barbaric” murder of a six-year-old Palestinian-American child near Chicago, a racist crime according to the courts.
The American government has already launched a major plan against anti-Semitism.
The promise to also develop a strategy against Islamophobia is not new, but Wednesday’s announcement comes in a very particular context.
The war unleashed after Hamas’ bloody attack on Israel has made the Muslim community in the United States fear a surge of hostility, comparable to what followed the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Furthermore, the response of American President Joe Biden, who went to Israel to promise his unwavering support for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arouses numerous and strong criticism among Americans of Muslim faith and of Arab origin.
The 80-year-old democrat is particularly accused of turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinian civilians, which he defends by praising his efforts to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza and to allow evacuations of civilians.
A poll conducted by the Arab American Institute shows that the Arab-American electorate has massively turned away from Joe Biden: support for the Democratic president in this group of voters has fallen from 59% in 2020 to 17% now.