© Mike Blake / Reuters
Concerned with increased anti-Muslim threats and backlash in the wake of terror attacks in Europe and San Bernardino, California, numerous attorneys from the US Justice Department are launching a campaign to combat discrimination.
US attorneys from 11 states will meet with local officials, community leaders, and law enforcement between April 12 and May 6 in order discuss the potential threats against Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian Americans. The goal is "to address discrimination, violence and harassment targeting people because of what they look like, which country they come from or where they worship," the Justice Department said.
The states involved are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio and Utah.
"The Department of Justice is determined to uphold the fundamental principle that
all Americans should be free from violence and protected from hatred no matter who they are, what they look like, or where they're from," said Federal Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch in a statement.
Over the past few months, the Justice Department said,
a man in Connecticut pleaded guilty to shooting a rifle at a mosque, a Florida mean pleaded guilty to threatening to firebomb to mosques and also shoot those worshipping inside, and a New York man was sentenced to over a year in jail for sending death threats to the leader of an Islamic advocacy group.
Comment: The story of the Connecticut man who shot up the mosque is an
eye-opening case. (See
this video.)
Like Mr. Hakey said, if he'd only spent 5 minutes with a Muslim before his attack, it never would have happened. If the DOJ is serious about this, they should be sponsoring exchange programs, dialogue, and simply getting people to talk to each other. That's the best way to immunize a population against racism.
Comment: The story of the Connecticut man who shot up the mosque is an eye-opening case. (See this video.)
Like Mr. Hakey said, if he'd only spent 5 minutes with a Muslim before his attack, it never would have happened. If the DOJ is serious about this, they should be sponsoring exchange programs, dialogue, and simply getting people to talk to each other. That's the best way to immunize a population against racism.