The White House introduced a national strategy to combat Islamophobia on Thursday, outlining over 100 federal initiatives to address hate, violence, bias, and discrimination targeting Muslims and Arab Americans, according to a statement from the White House.
The plan follows the national strategy to fight antisemitism, which President Joe Biden unveiled in May 2023 amid rising concerns about acts of hatred and discrimination against Jewish communities in the U.S.
Officials spent months shaping the anti-Islamophobia strategy. They intend to implement most of the actions before Biden leaves office on January 20, when President-elect Donald Trump takes office as US President.
The White House highlighted the urgency of the initiative, pointing to increased threats against Muslims and Arab Americans, including the October 2023 murder of Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old American Muslim of Palestinian descent, in Illinois.
The strategy singles out four main goals: raising awareness of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate, enhancing community safety, promoting respect for religious practices, and fostering cross-community solidarity. It also includes steps to improve hate crime reporting and clarifies that discrimination in federally funded activities is illegal.
“Muslims and Arab Americans have been integral to this nation since its founding,” the White House said. It is calling for state and local governments and private organizations to adopt similar initiatives to promote justice, liberty, and security for all.
While the strategy mirrors aspects of the administration’s antisemitism plan, including a focus on safety and solidarity, it drew criticism from some advocacy groups. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) described it as “too little, too late,” accusing the administration of failing to address longstanding federal policies that perpetuate anti-Muslim bias.
CAIR also criticized the strategy for not committing to ending federal watchlist practices targeting Arab Americans or addressing U.S. foreign policy in Gaza, which the group described as fueling anti-Muslim sentiment.