(RNS) — With one month left in office, the Biden administration has released a 67-page strategy to fight Islamophobia and counter discrimination against Muslims and Arabs.
The policy, released on Thursday (Dec. 12), is modeled on a similar strategy to counter antisemitism that was released in May 2023. But unlike that strategy, it comes amid heightened tensions with the Muslim American community over the administration’s steadfast support for Israel in its war in Gaza.
The first-of-its kind strategy includes four area priorities: increasing awareness of hatred against Muslims and Arabs, improving safety and security, tackling discrimination and building cross-community solidarity. Among its recommendations are tools to combat “doxing,” or sharing people’s home addresses online; “swatting,” or reporting a false incident to send emergency personnel to a home; and other hoax threats against Muslims and Arabs.
The strategy also seeks increased training on nondiscrimination and religious freedom at all levels of government.
It opens by invoking the death of a 6-year-old Chicago-area boy who was stabbed to death one year ago, allegedly because his mother is Palestinian. The death of Wadee Alfayoumi, on the heels of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, made combating violence against Arabs a national priority.
The document also cites the shooting of three students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont, and the stabbing of a young woman near a college campus in …