Oct. 14 (UPI) — President Joe Biden marked one year since the killing of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi in Illinois on Monday by highlighting ongoing work to “fight hatred and violence against Muslim and Arab communities.”
“On October 14th, one year ago today, 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, a bright and cheerful American Muslim boy of Palestinian descent, was brutally killed in his family’s home in Plainfield, Ill.,” Biden said in a statement. “The attacker also repeatedly stabbed and seriously wounded Wadee’s mother, Hanan Shaheen, resulting in murder, attempted murder and hate crime charges in Illinois.”
“On this day, let us all take steps that honor Wadee’s memory and reaffirm together that there is no place for hate in America, including hatred of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims,” Biden added.
On Monday, the White House highlighted the Biden administration’s “forthcoming National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Hatred Against Arabs in the United States,” as well as its ongoing efforts to fight hate.
Since 2021, the Department of Justice has awarded more than $100 million in grants to law enforcement and civil rights groups to address hate crimes, while also working to transition to the National Incident-Based Reporting System to improve how reported crime is measured, according to the White House.
“In May 2021, I signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which includes the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer NO HATE Act, to enhance hate crime data collection and provide community-centered solutions to assist hate crime victims and their communities,” Biden added.
The DOJ has also created a website to raise awareness about resources to deal with threats against Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and Jewish communities in the United States.
The Department of Labor sent a letter to American Job Centers, reminding them of the legal requirements to ban discrimination based on religion or ethnicity. Also, schools and campuses have received fact sheets on fighting harassment from the Justice Department and the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also elevated hate crimes and criminal civil rights violations to its highest-level national threat priority, which has increased the resources for hate crimes a focus for all of the Bureau’s field offices,” Biden added, as he promised, “My administration will continue to spare no effort in countering hate in all its forms.”
