Republican and Democratic senators at a hearing on anti-Muslim discrimination Tuesday agreed on one point: Even one case of bullying, violence or workplace harassment goes beyond what Americans should accept.
“Those who use this type of rhetoric, who burn Qurans and who engage in other forms of bigotry and discrimination may be few in number, but their bigoted conduct and remarks violate the spirit of our Bill of Rights,” said Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights.
While subcommittee Democrats said special attention should be paid to hate crimes committed against Muslims in the USA, Republicans argued that Muslim Americans have not done enough to fight radicalism in their own communities.
“Get in this fight,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “You’re going to have to help your country. You’re probably uniquely qualified, compared to anyone else, to understand what’s going on and fight back.”
The hearing comes two weeks after Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., conducted a controversial House hearing looking into how extremist groups lure American Muslims to become violent. A number of Muslim Americans felt their community was singled out for the terrorist acts of a few.
There have been 800 incidents of alleged violence, threats, vandalism and arson against people who were perceived to be Muslim since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to the U.S. Justice Department. In addition, 14% of religious discrimination cases are against Muslim institutions, though Muslims make up 1% of the population, Justice Department figures show. Durbin called the hearing to determine whether the Justice Department has the resources it needs to address the cases.
Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez said the Justice Department increased community outreach, staffing and local officer training in 2010. Even so, there has been a “disturbing trend of violence against members of these communities.”
Last summer, a couple attacked a South Asian businessman in Lake Tahoe because of his race, breaking several bones in his face; and last month, a man set fire to a playground outside a mosque in Arlington, Texas, Perez said. “The most frequent complaint is bullying in schools,” he said.
Farhana Khera, president of Muslim Advocates, said that last summer, a New York taxi driver was stabbed after a passenger asked whether he was a Muslim. In Staten Island, a high school boy was punched in the groin, called a terrorist, spat upon and beaten so badly he suffered short-term memory loss.
“Parents worry, ‘Will my child be next?’ ” Khera said.