Civil and Human Rights Coalition Condemns Bigoted and Troubling Anti-Muslim Senate Hearing

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing intended to further bigoted stereotypes and to advance biased law enforcement against American Muslims:

“Today’s hearing is a textbook example of how fearmongering can be used to advance government-sanctioned discrimination and to undermine our nation’s public safety.

By stoking fear and bigotry against our nation’s 3 million American Muslims and promoting profiling and targeted surveillance against them, this hearing seeks to legitimize deeply flawed and ineffective law enforcement practices.

Studies have shown that discriminatory policing practices like profiling are counter-productive. They distract law enforcement from pursuing individuals who actually pose serious threats to our security. Profiling robs people of their dignity, undermines the integrity of our criminal justice system, and instills fear and distrust among members of targeted communities.

Scapegoating American Muslims won’t make us any safer.  We urge the Senate to advance responsible and proven solutions that don’t undermine the very foundations of our freedom that we hold so dear.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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