US to step up effort against Islamophobia, says White House

Washington: United States President Joe Biden’s administration is set to establish the country’s first-ever national strategy to counter Islamophobia.

The initiative comes amid a spike in antisemitism incidents and increased fears of Islamophobia across the US in the background of the ongoing Israel-Palestine war.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “President Biden ran for office to restore the soul of our nation. He is unequivocal: there is no place for hate in America against anyone. Period.”

“We look forward to continuing our work with community leaders, advocates, members of Congress, and more to develop the strategy — which will be a joint effort led by the Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council — and counter the scourge of Islamophobia and hate in all its forms,” she added.

“For too long, Muslims in the US, and those perceived to be Muslim, such as Arabs and Sikhs, have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks and other discriminatory incidents,” she said.

This is the “latest step as part of President Biden’s directive last year to establish an inter-agency group to increase and better coordinate US government efforts to counter Islamophobia, antisemitism, and related forms of bias and discrimination within the US”, Jean-Pierre was quoted as saying in a White House statement.

With inputs from IANS