United States Congress passes anti-Islamophobia bill, as America warns it’ll place Islamophobes worldwide under watch

WIth inputs from Agencies

The United States House of Representatives, on Tuesday December 14, 2021, voted 219-212 to pass Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar’s legislation to create a special envoy to combat Islamophobia.

A group of over 30 American lawmakers led by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar had introduced a bill in the House of Representatives in October this year.

Speaking ahead of the voting on the legislation, Ilhan Omar said:

“We are in the midst of a staggering rise of anti-Muslim violence and discrimination around the world. Islamophobia is global in scope and we must lead the global effort to address it.”

The passing of the legislation was interrupted earlier, when Republican Scott Perry, of Pennsylvania, referred to Omar as anti-Semitic and implied that she has ties to terrorist organisations.

“American taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay terrorist organisations, organisations that the maker of this bill is affiliated with, like the one that’s an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror-financed case in the United States of America’s history,” Perry was quoted as saying.

The House vote comes a few weeks after a video emerged showing first-term Republican lawmaker Lauren Boebert calling Omar, a Muslim second-term Congresswoman who was born in Somalia, a member of a “jihad squad.”

About the bill

“The ‘Combating International Islamophobia Act’ allows the Department of State to establish an office to monitor and combat Islamophobia and addresses related issues.

“The legislation also seeks to establish the position of Special Envoy for monitoring and combating Islamophobia, who shall head the office.

“The bill also requires certain existing annual reports to Congress about human rights and religious freedom in foreign countries to include information about Islamophobia, such as information acts of physical violence or harassment of Muslim people, instances of propaganda in government and non-government media that attempt to justify or promote hatred or incite violence against Muslim people, and actions taken by a country’s government to respond to such acts. The office shall coordinate and assist in preparing these portions of the reports,” FirstPost.com reports.

Opposition to the legislation

Republicans have denounced the bill, calling it rushed and partisan.

Republican Michael McCaul of Texas said he supports the “spirit and intent” of the bill. But he raised concerns that it could empower executive branch officials to crack down on protected speech because the word “Islamophobia” isn’t defined in the legislation.

“It’s so vague and subjective that it could be used against legitimate speech for partisan purposes,” McCaul was quoted as saying on the House floor.

Even some section of Twitter agreed that the bill was not required.

Ilhan Omar introduced the bill called, “The Combating International Islamophobia Act.”

The bill directs the State Department to create a special envoy and office to “monitor” and “combat” Islamophobia around the world.

Bill global in nature, enjoys popular support despite Republican opposition

President Joe Biden also supports the legislation. However, it’s unclear if the bill will get a vote in the Senate.

House of Representatives approved with 219-212 votes Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Jan Schakowsky’s Combating International Islamophobia Act (H.R. 5665). All Republicans except one opposed it.

Ilhan Omar and her colleagues created history and the US warned Islamophobes all over the world that they are under its watch.

Addressing the Congress, Rep Ilhan Omar said: “Some cynics would rather see us divided on racial, ethnic, gender, and religious lines. But as Americans, we should stand united against all forms of bigotry.”

According to another report, Congress members referred to human rights violations of Muslims in India, Myanmar, and China expressly.

It is a significant achievement of Ilhan Omar and her colleagues when the pro-Israeli lobby and the supporters of the Hindu national organizations, RSS and B.J.P., with the help of right-wing Christian organizations, are vowing to remove her in 2022 mid-term elections..

The Combating International Islamophobia Act establishes a particular envoy office at the U.S. State Department to monitor and combat international Islamophobia.

The Office shall monitor and combat Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement in foreign countries. The Bill establishes the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia, who shall head the Office.

The Bill also requires specific existing annual reports to Congress about human rights and religious freedom in foreign countries to include information about Islamophobia.

It would include information about

(1) acts of physical violence or harassment of Muslim people,

(2) instances of propaganda in government and nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote hatred or incite violence against Muslim people, and

(3) actions taken by a country’s government to respond to such acts. The Office shall coordinate and assist in preparing these portions of the reports.

During the Act’s floor debate, the Biden-Harris Administration expressed solidarity with the Act.

Praising the passage of the bill, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement :

“I’m pleased that the House has passed a bill to combat Islamophobia by creating a special envoy for that purpose at the State Department. I want to thank Rep. Omar, Rep. Schakowsky, and its other sponsors for introducing and championing this legislation.

“We have seen a dangerous rise in Islamophobia and violence against Muslim Americans in our country and around the world in recent years, particularly since September 11, 2001. No one should have to live in fear because of one’s religion – today, however, the threat of Islamophobic violence has become a daily reality for Muslim Americans. Just as we have a special envoy to address antisemitism, it is important that we take this step today to continue our commitment to addressing the scourge of religious intolerance here at home and around the world.

“House Democrats will not sit silently in the face of religious bigotry. It is shameful that Republicans would not stand with us to affirm this core American value, which ought to be an easy and straightforward objective.”

U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also introduced the Combating International Islamophobia Act in the Senate. It is the Senate companion to a House bill introduced by Representatives Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9).

“We’ve witnessed in recent years an alarming rise in Islamophobia both in the United States and globally that has threatened the religious freedom, wellbeing, and lives of Muslims,” said Sen. Booker. “Establishing a Special Envoy at the State Department is an important step that we should take to develop a comprehensive plan to reverse this trend and position the U.S. as a global leader in combating hate.”

“For over a decade, we have seen a rise in Islamophobia around the country and around the world. The United States should be a global leader in fighting such intolerance. So I am proud today to be joining my Senate colleagues in introducing the Combating International Islamophobia Act. This bill would elevate our commitment to freedom of religion and further protect the rights of Muslims everywhere,” said Senator Cardin, who serves as the Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the 57-nation Organization Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly.

Ilhan and her colleague presented the draft in Congress on October 21, 2021

Here is the Act in its entirety

Ms. Omar (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Carson, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Kim of New Jersey, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Rush, Ms. Bass, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs. Dingell, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Ms. Jacobs of California, Ms. Newman, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms. Norton, Mr. García of Illinois, Mr. Sires, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Dean, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Correa, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Payne, Mr. Jones, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Phillips, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Pressley, and Mr. Pascrell) introduced the following Bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs on December 13, 2021

Additional sponsors: Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Sánchez, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Trone, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Chu, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Malinowski, Ms. Wild, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Brown of Maryland, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Ms. DeGette, and Mr. Neguse

December 13, 2021

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

A BILL

To establish in the Department of State the Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Combating International Islamophobia Act”.

S.E.C. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ISLAMOPHOBIA.

Title 1 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

“S.E.C. 64. MONITORING AND COMBATING ISLAMOPHOBIA.

“(a) Office To Monitor And Combat Islamophobia.—

“(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State shall establish within the Department of State an Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia (in this section referred to as the ‘Office’).

“(2) HEAD OF OFFICE.—

“(A) SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MONITORING AND COMBATING ISLAMOPHOBIA.—The head of the Office shall be the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia (in this section referred to as the ‘Special Envoy’).

“(B) APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL ENVOY.—The Secretary of State President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint the Special Envoy. If the Secretary President determines that such is appropriate, the Secretary President may appoint the Special Envoy from among officers and employees of the Department of State. The Secretary of State may allow such officer or employee to retain the position (and the responsibilities associated with such position) held by such officer or employee prior to such appointment.

“(b) Purpose Of Office.—Upon establishment, the Office shall assume primary responsibility for the following:

“(1) Monitoring and combating acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that occur in foreign countries.

“(2) Coordinating and assisting in the preparation of that portion of the reports required by paragraph (9) of section 116(d) and subsection (k) of section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d) and 2304) relating to an assessment and description of the nature and extent of acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement.

“(3) Coordinating and assisting in the preparation of that portion of the report required by clause (viii) of section 102(b)(1)(A) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)(1)(A)) relating to an assessment and description of the nature and extent of acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement.

“(c) Consultations.—The Special Envoy shall consult with domestic and international nongovernmental organizations and multilateral organizations and institutions, as the Special Envoy considers appropriate, to carry out this section.”.

S.E.C. 3. INCLUSION IN DEPARTMENT OF STATE ANNUAL REPORTS OF INFORMATION CONCERNING ACTS OF ISLAMOPHOBIA IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

(a) Inclusion In Annual Country Reports On Human Rights Practices.—The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended—

(1) in section 116(d) (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d))—

(A) by redesignating paragraphs (9), (10), (11), and (12), as paragraphs (10), (11), (12), and (13), respectively; and

(B) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following new paragraph:

“(9) wherever applicable, a description of the nature and extent of acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that occur during the preceding year, including descriptions of—

“(A) acts of physical violence against, or harassment of, Muslim people, and acts of violence against, or vandalism of, Muslim community institutions, including schools, mosques, and cemeteries;

“(B) instances of propaganda in government and nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote racial hatred or incite acts of violence against Muslim people;

“(C) the actions, if any, taken by the government of the country to respond to such violence and attacks or to eliminate such propaganda or incitement;

“(D) the actions taken by such government to enact and enforce laws relating to the protection of the right to religious freedom of Muslim people; and;

“(E) the efforts of such government to promote anti-bias and tolerance education;”; and; and

“(F)any instances of forced labor, reeducation, or the presence of concentration camps, such as those targeting the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Province of the People’s Republic of China;

(2) in section 502B (22 U.S.C. 2304), by—

(A) redesignating the second subsection (i) (relating to child marriage status) as subsection (j); and

(B) by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(k) Information Concerning Acts Of Islamophobia In Foreign Countries.—The report required by subsection (b) shall include, wherever applicable, a description of the nature and extent of acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that occur during the preceding year, including descriptions of—

“(1) acts of physical violence against, or harassment of, Muslim people, and acts of violence against, or vandalism of, Muslim community institutions, including schools, mosques, and cemeteries;

“(2) instances of propaganda in government and nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote racial hatred or incite acts of violence against Muslim people;

“(3) the actions, if any, taken by the government of the country to respond to such violence and attacks or to eliminate such propaganda or incitement;

“(4) the actions taken by such government to enact and enforce laws relating to the protection of the right to religious freedom of Muslim people; and;

“(5) the efforts of such government to promote anti-bias and tolerance education.; and

“(6) any instances of forced labor, reeducation, or the presence of concentration camps, such as those targeting the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Province of the People’s Republic of China.”.

(b) Inclusion In Annual Report On International Religious Freedom.—Section 102(b)(1)(A) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)(1)(A)) is amended—

(1) in clause (vi), by striking “and” at the end;

(2) in clause (vii)(II), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new clause:

“(viii) wherever applicable, an assessment and description of the nature and extent of acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that occur in that country during the preceding the year, including—

“(I) acts of physical violence against, or harassment of, Muslim people, acts of violence against, or vandalism of, Muslim community institutions, instances of propaganda in government and nongovernment media that incite such acts, and statements and actions relating thereto; and;

“(II) the actions taken by the government of that country to respond to such violence and attacks or to eliminate such propaganda or incitement, to enact and enforce laws relating to the protection of the right to religious freedom of Muslims, and to promote anti-bias and tolerance education.; and

“(III) any instances of forced labor, reeducation, or the presence of concentration camps, such as those targeting the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Province of the People’s Republic of China.”.

(c) Effective Date Of Inclusions.—The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) shall apply beginning with the first reports required under sections 116(d) and 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n and 2304) and section 102(b)(1)(A) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)(A)) that are submitted after the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

S.E.C. 4. PROHIBITION.

No funds made available pursuant to this Act or an amendment made by this Act may be used to promote or endorse a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (B.D.S.) movement ideology or used to promote or endorse a Muslim ban, such as the one instituted by former President Trump.

NAHCON PROTECTS INTEREST OF ITS STAKEHOLDERS

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) was established as a body charged with responsibility to “license, regulate, supervise and perform oversight functions over organizations, associations (corporate or non-corporate) or similar bodies engaged in-
(i) Organizing and coordinating the movement of persons from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj or Umrah,..” among other functions as stated in its Establishment Act, 2006.
To deny any role in the performance of Hajj or Umrah is to deny two major reasons for the existence of NAHCON. It is on record that NAHCON had of late even established an Umrah Standing Committee saddled with the task of bettering Umrah operations in Nigeria: to protect the interest of Umrah pilgrims and the interest of Licensed Tour Operators as well both in Nigeria and in Saudi Arabia. This fact was publicized.
Ever since the stalemate in the aviation industry between Nigeria and some countries, NAHCON leadership had remained on its feet particularly on the matter relating to General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA)’s restriction of flights from Nigeria into Saudi Arabia. The latter is a matter of utmost concern to NAHCON by virtue of its oversight role on Hajj and Umrah, yet NAHCON appreciates federal government of Nigeria’s concerted efforts towards amicably resolving the impasse. It is the Commission’s believe that federal government, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of Aviation, is not relenting its efforts towards resolving the matter. Thus far, some flight suspensions into certain countries have been resolved successfully. It is the Commission’s believe that government will soon resolve all other flight suspensions in similar manner.
Needless to say, the Chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, had been troubled with the turn out of events pertaining to flight suspension from Nigeria into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the Saudi aviation industry. The Chairman had met with both the Legislative and Executive arms of government to find a solution to the fallout of the suspension. He had also held discussions with other sister agencies whose responsibility it is to shoulder the matter and the Chairman appreciates the level of commitment of all parties involved as they are also keenly working to end the impasse.
All NAHCON stakeholders are rest assured that the Commission will never abandon its responsibilities and particularly their welfare no matter how tough the situation might be. It would be recalled that the Commission graciously returned all caution deposits to its Licensed Tour Operators when the pandemic forced Saudi Arabia to cancel Hajj and Umrah in the 2020/2021. Similarly, the Commission had advised both public and private intending pilgrims appropriately then and will still do so now when measures put in place to end the suspension begets clear response. The NAHCON Chairman understands the dilemma of all parties involved in the travel interruption and has been working wordlessly but painstakingly to ensure that the matter is resolved cordially. NAHCON would always be working modestly for the wellbeing of all involved in the Hajj and Umrah operations in Nigeria, and its doors remain open for consultation at all times.

Fatima Sanda Usara,
Head/Public Affairs,
NAHCON