White House releases national strategy to combat Islamophobia
The White House has announced what it called the first-ever national strategy to counter Islamophobia
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday announced what it called the first-ever national strategy to counter Islamophobia, detailing more than 100 steps federal officials are taking to curb hate, violence, bias and discrimination against Muslims and Arab Americans.
The proposal follows a similar national plan to battle antisemitism that President Joe Biden unveiled in May 2023, as fears about increasing hatred and discrimination were rising among U.S. Jews.
Officials worked on the anti-Islamophobia plan for months, and its release came five weeks before Biden leaves office. The White House said the bulk of its actions had been implemented, with the goal to roll out the rest before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
In a statement announcing the strategy, the Biden administration wrote, “Over the past year, this initiative has become even more important as threats against American Muslim and Arab communities have spiked.” It said that included the October 2023 slaying of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, an American Muslim boy of Palestinian descent, who was stabbed to death in Illinois.
