[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 662 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 662
Honoring the victims resulting from hate crimes, Islamophobia and anti-
immigrant sentiment, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, where
individuals were targeted by violence and hatred because they were
Muslim or perceived to be Muslim.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 20, 2021
Ms. Johnson of Texas (for herself and Mr. Carson) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight
and Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the victims resulting from hate crimes, Islamophobia and anti-
immigrant sentiment, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, where
individuals were targeted by violence and hatred because they were
Muslim or perceived to be Muslim.
Whereas Arab, South Asian, Sikh, and Muslim-American communities have been the
targets of numerous hate crimes over the past two decades since the
events of September 11, 2001;
Whereas Islamophobia has been a growing threat to communities and is on the rise
since the events of September 11, 2001;
Whereas the use of Islamophobic language has resulted in Muslim Americans or
those who were perceived to be Muslim being harassed, assaulted, and
scapegoated for many forms of terrorism;
Whereas Islamophobia is actively being spread by a network of closely connected
and well-funded organizations and activists that seek to propagate
misinformation about Arabs, Islam, and American Muslims and provide
support for legislation that curtails the rights of religious
minorities;
Whereas the Muslim population in the United States is estimated at around
3,500,000 and is made up of diverse ethnic members;
Whereas the Arab population in the United States is estimated at around
3,500,000, and that community is made up of diverse religious beliefs
and countries of national origin;
Whereas, though many people may identify Muslims as being Arab, close to two-
thirds of the Arab population is Christian;
Whereas the Muslim community is incredibly diverse and not limited to Arabs, but
also Middle East and North Africans, Afrasians, African Americans, South
Asians, Turks, Iranians, Bosnians, Malays, Indonesians, Nigerians,
Somalis, Liberians, Kenyans, and Senegalese, among others;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation (in this resolution referred to as
the ``FBI'') identifies hate crime as ``traditional offense like murder,
arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias'';
Whereas, during the past year, race has been cited as the primary reason for
discrimination, making up over 90 percent of incidents;
Whereas the war on terror in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks has
increased instances of Islamophobia and hate crimes committed against
Muslims, or those thought to be Muslim;
Whereas, in 2001, reported FBI data showed there were 481 incidents made up of
546 offenses having 554 victims of crimes motivated by bias toward the
Islam or committed against those perceived to be Muslim;
Whereas, from 2001 to 2019, reported FBI data show there were 3,489 incidents
made up of 4,058 offenses having 4,234 victims of crimes motivated by
bias toward the Islam or committed against those perceived to be Muslim;
Whereas hate crimes touch not only the individual victim, but they also affect
the entire group associated with the particular bias motivation;
Whereas unfair and inaccurate stereotyping can make victims of all who share the
same race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, or
disability;
Whereas there remains much to be done to ensure that Muslims or those who are
perceived to be Muslim are not unfairly targeted in the United States
and have access to resources and a voice in the government;
Whereas the rise of hate speech in the media contributes toward creating social
bias against a sector of society, which fuels the ignorance that can
drive certain individuals toward acts of hatred and violence;
Whereas hate crimes harm not only the victim or victims, but also traumatize
entire communities and damage public confidence in their safety;
Whereas the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee documented over 700
violent incidents targeting Arab Americans in the first nine weeks
following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks;
Whereas Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh, was gunned down in Mesa, Arizona, on
September 15, 2001;
Whereas Waqar Hasan was murdered in Dallas, Texas, on September 15, 2001;
Whereas Adel Karas, an Egyptian Coptic Christian, was murdered in San Gabriel,
California, on September 15, 2001;
Whereas Ali Almansoop was murdered in Lincoln Park, Michigan, on September 17,
2001;
Whereas Abdo Ali Ahmed was murdered in Reedly, California, on September 29,
2001;
Whereas Vasudev Patel, a Hindu, was murdered in Dallas, Texas, on October 4,
2001;
Whereas Abdullah Nimer was murdered in Los Angeles, California, on October 13,
2001;
Whereas Ali W. Ali was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 15, 2001;
and
Whereas Ramez Younan was murdered in Los Angeles, California, on October 18,
2001: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the horrific
terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001, in New
York, New York, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania;
(2) wishes to recognize the victims and express condolences
to surviving family members for this senseless loss of life;
(3) wishes to recognize the victims and express condolences
to surviving family members of Islamophobic hate crimes or hate
crimes committed against those perceived to be Muslim in the
United States since the events of September 11, 2001;
(4) encourages the 9/11 Commission to recognize the victims
and survivors of post 9/11 hate crimes;
(5) represents and upholds the human rights and dignity of
all its citizens and decries the escalation of intimidation,
violence, vandalism, and arson, which continues to be on the
rise against people or institutions perceived to be Muslim;
(6) condemns all manifestations and expressions of racism,
xenophobia, discrimination, Islamophobic sentiment,
scapegoating, and ethnic or religious intolerance;
(7) recognizes the positive contributions which Arabs,
Muslims, Sikhs, and South Asians make to United States society
as part of the diverse fabric of cultures in the Nation and
affirms to uphold the rights of religious freedom enshrined in
the Constitution; and
(8) recommits the United States to serving as a world
leader in building an accepting and diverse society by
condemning all results and expressions of racism, xenophobia,
ethnic, and religious intolerance that Muslim Americans have
faced.
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