On Tuesday, Senator John Kennedy informed the one Muslim American witness throughout a committee listening to to “cover [her] head in a bag”.
The meant function of Tuesday’s historic Senate judiciary committee listening to was to convey consideration to the rise in hate in opposition to Muslim, Jewish, and Palestinian People. The rise of antisemitism has sparked many hearings in Congress. In distinction, this was the primary listening to since 7 October that addressed hate focusing on Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian People. Combating bigotry requires us to sentence it wherever we see it. For a lot too lengthy, hate speech made in opposition to Arab, Muslim and Palestinian People goes ignored.
The rise in threats, hate speech and violence throughout the nation calls for severe consideration. As an alternative, Kennedy used his time to verbally assault the witness, Arab American Institute government director Maya Berry, for her identification. It was telling that Kennedy alongside together with his Republican colleagues couldn’t keep away from actively partaking in anti-Muslim hate speech throughout a listening to concerning the rise in hate crimes.
Within the face of vile accusations, Maya Berry answered Kennedy’s remarks with grace, sensitivity and poise. She used her time to coach the sitting senators on the committee concerning the uptick in hate that too many communities face every day. As unfair remarks have been hurled at her, the American individuals witnessed the very function of the listening to in plain view for all: the normalization of hate speech is alive and nicely.
Throughout Kennedy’s questioning, he repeatedly tried to make his line of questioning about overseas coverage within the Center East, as an alternative of constructing it concerning the rise of hate crimes impacting People. Kennedy didn’t get the solutions he needed so he resulted in telling the witness to cover her head in a bag. To be clear, Kennedy’s bigoted feedback have been unacceptable for anybody, not to mention a sitting member of the US Senate. Not solely ought to his feedback be unequivocally condemned by each single sitting member of Congress, however his remarks increase severe considerations concerning the normalization of Islamophobic hate speech in our nation.
Regrettably, we all know that espousing anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bigotry resonates nicely throughout the base of the present Republican social gathering. In the course of the committee listening to, senators Cruz, Hawley, Graham and Kennedy have been competing for the highest bigot award. Islamophobia sells to their base and that’s the reason they continue to be hellbent on ginning up hate speech on the expense of communities throughout this nation they deem as “different”, together with their very own constituents. The truth is, Kennedy will face no penalties for his actions due to his energy, place, privilege and incompetence. However for tens of millions of Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian People throughout this nation, it’s crucial that we name out this speech to be able to convey wanted change and for the security of these communities.
As Maya Berry clearly acknowledged in her testimony, the hateful stereotypes of Arab, Muslim, Palestinian People normalized in our media and by our elected officers contribute to the widespread hate felt by tens of millions of People. We can’t afford to let Kennedy’s feedback slide as a result of this isn’t a one-off or an remoted remark, it’s reflective of a dangerous pattern.
We now have seen the tangible penalties of this play out in communities throughout the nation. In November, three faculty college students of Palestinian descent have been gunned down in Vermont, leaving one in every of them paralyzed. Final December, Wadee Alfayoumi, a six-year-old Palestinian American youngster was brutally murdered in Chicago and his mom hospitalized. One other horrific hate crime occurred when a Pakistani American girl was stabbed a number of instances in Texas.
In Minnesota, we now have seen an uptick in anti-Muslim assaults all through my very own district, together with residents being shot and bodily assaulted, most of the incidents going unreported. In the course of the protests throughout faculty campuses, most of the Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian college students have been unjustly censored, suspended and arrested. Even Donald Trump and JD Vance’s false claims about Haitians in Ohio have resulted in bomb threats throughout Springfield.
Hate-filled rhetoric has harmful implications. As somebody who has been the topic of frequent loss of life threats and offensive Islamophobic speech, I do know the hurt of hate speech first hand. From former president Donald Trump telling me to return the place I got here from, to the outrageous phrases by sitting congresswoman Lauren Boebert when she steered I used to be a suicide bomber, to mainstream media together with CNN and Fox Information peddling Islamophobic tropes of their protection – this dangerous language not solely endangers my life, however the lives of all Muslims and individuals who share these identities with me. This speech is corroding our democracy, the material of our communities, and the way forward for our nation. Within the US, we ought to be higher than this.
As Berry rightfully identified: “Hate in opposition to anybody group is inseparable from hate in opposition to all and hate prevention ought to be accomplished collectively – in coalition and partnership with all communities affected by hate.” Hate in all its kinds should not have any place right here within the US.
Kennedy’s feedback have been simply the tip of the iceberg. It’s incumbent upon all of us to name out hate speech at any time when we see it as a result of preventing bigotry of any type means preventing bigotry of each type.
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