Biden launches national strategy against anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hatred

The federal administration is presenting a major strategy to specifically protect Muslim and Arab-American citizens, who are facing an increase in hostile acts. This historic initiative deploys around a hundred measures in response to the increase in discriminatory incidents targeting these communities.

The program is organized around four axes: prevention of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice, strengthening community security, protection of Islamic religious practices and promotion of intercultural dialogue. This approach complements the anti-discrimination system adopted in spring 2023.

The recent tragedy in Illinois, where young Wadee Alfayoumi was targeted for his origins, highlights the urgency of an institutional response. The authorities plan a coordinated mobilization of federal and local services to protect these populations. Muslim and Arab-American associations, while welcoming this progress, are calling for deeper reforms of existing federal programs.

The timing of this announcement, a few weeks before the end of the Biden mandate, reveals the urgency of the situation but also its political nature. The effectiveness of this plan will largely depend on its effective implementation by the next Trump administration and the support of local stakeholders. The question is all the more sensitive since the Trump administration had introduced a ban on entry into the country for nationals of several predominantly Muslim countries, a measure repealed by Biden upon his arrival at the White House. This “Muslim ban” remains a symbol of tensions around migration and religious policies in the United States.