Ilhan Omar introduces new bill to combat Islamophobia around the globe
Washington DC – Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Jan Schakowsky joined forces to introduce the Combatting International Islamophobia Act on Thursday.
The legislation is intended to address rising incidents of Islamophobia around the globe, a press release about the bill reads.
If passed, the State Department would be required to create a special envoy for monitoring and addressing Islamophobia worldwide.
The Department would also have to include instances of state-sponsored violence against Muslims in its annual human rights report.
"The creation of the Special Envoy will help policymakers better understand the interconnected, global problem of anti-Muslim bigotry," the press release explains.
"We are seeing a rise in Islamophobia in nearly every corner of the globe. In my home state of Minnesota, vandals spray-painted hate messages and a Nazi swastika on and near the Moorhead Fargo Islamic Center. These types of incidents are all too common for Muslims in the United States and beyond," Omar stated.
Indeed, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) found there have been over 500 documented cases of anti-Muslim hate in the US so far this year, with the UN Human Rights Council saying in March that global anti-Muslim discrimination has risen to "epidemic proportions."
"As part of our commitment to international religious freedom and human rights, we must recognize Islamophobia and do all we can to eradicate it," Omar continued. "That’s why I’m proud to partner with Rep. Jan Schakowsky to create a special envoy to put an end to this bigotry."
The State Department already has a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire