White House unveils plan to fight Islamophobia amidst skepticism

Following up on its plan to fight antisemitism announced in June, the Biden-Harris administration Wednesday unveiled a plan to attack Islamophobia.

The urgency comes as the Israeli-Hamas conflict intensifies and the alleged hate crime against a 6-year-old Muslim boy in the Chicago area grabbed national headlines.

“For too long, Muslims in America, and those perceived to be Muslim, such as Arabs and Sikhs, have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks and other discriminatory incidents. We all mourn the recent barbaric killing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian American Muslim boy, and the brutal attack on his mother in their home outside Chicago,” the White House said in a statement.

In a video statement released on X, Vice President Harris condemned the attack saying “to be clear, taking on hate is a national priority” while pointing to two anti-hate initiatives, one fighting anti-Asian hate and the other antisemitism.

“For so many days in our nation, the past few days and weeks have brought about all-too-familiar fears. Fears that they will be targeted, profiled or attacked simply because of who they are, how they worship or how they look.”

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She said the administration would “develop the first national strategy to counter Islamophobia.” She vowed it would be both comprehensive and detailed to protect Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim from hate bigotry and violence.

However, those details have yet to emerge. The administration has outraged some for its support of Israel in the conflict.

“Given the imbalanced statements that have come out of the White House that have contributed to the atmosphere of otherization, dehumanization and Islamophobia, we are approaching (the Biden announcement) with caution, given the atmosphere,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab to the Sun-Times.

Some Muslims have vowed not to vote for a Biden reelection until he supports a cease-fire.

Today, President Biden called for a “pause” in the fighting to give prisoners time to get out, reported NBC. He made that announcement after a question from a protester in Minnesota.

“I think we need a pause. A pause means give time to get prisoners out. Give time.”

It’s unclear how much the White House announced intent to fight Islamophobia and today’s call for a pause will change any skepticism from Muslims.

“In America, no one should be made to fight hate alone,” Harris said. “And in this moment, let us all clearly say a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us.”

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