US President Joe Biden has unveiled a long-anticipated strategy aimed at tackling the rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate, which has surged since the onset of the Middle East crisis, stressing the need for immediate and sustained efforts to combat discrimination and prejudice.
The strategy, a 64-page document, comes just weeks before the inauguration of former President Donald Trump, who had imposed a travel ban on individuals from certain majority Muslim countries during his first term—a ban Biden reversed on his first day in office.
In a foreword to the strategy, Biden highlighted the tragic death of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume, who was stabbed by a man targeting him and his mother because they were Palestinian-American. He referred to these acts as “heinous” and emphasized the unacceptable rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate crimes, discrimination, and bullying.
Biden also stated that “Muslims and Arabs deserve to live with dignity and enjoy every right to the fullest extent along with all of their fellow Americans,” condemning policies that discriminate against entire communities and hinder safety.
The Council on American Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, criticized the strategy as “too little, too late,” accusing the White House of not ending a federal watchlist and “no-fly” list that includes many Arab and Muslim Americans.
The Trump transition team has yet to comment on the new strategy or indicate whether it would support it.