Civil Rights Leaders Express Concerns to Congress About Increase in Hate Incidents Based on Religious Background

WASHINGTON—Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, civil rights leaders today raised their concerns about the rise in hate incidents based on religion, as well as other protected classes. The witnesses included Vanita Gupta, incoming president and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO and national director, Anti-Defamation League; and Dr. Prabhjot Singh, Chair, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System.

“Too many people in this country feel unwelcome, unsafe, and marginalized,” said Vanita Gupta, incoming president and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.  “Divisive rhetoric during the recent presidential election, comments and policies targeting or casting wide aspersions on Muslim, immigrant, and other marginalized communities have heightened concerns that our country is increasingly legitimizing hate. The Senate’s investigation into the rise of religious-based hate crimes today sends a powerful message that America will not normalize hate and hate-based violence in any form. Our government must do everything within its power to create a world where our citizens do not have to fear physical harm or intimidation based on their race, the way they worship, their sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, national origin, or disability status.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ written statement is available here.

“Ultimately, hate crime statistics do not speak for themselves – because behind each statistic is a victim injured or intimidated for no other reason than how they worship, who they love, who they are.  The impact of all bias crime initiatives will be measured one, by one, by one – in the response of the criminal justice system to each individual act of hate violence,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO and national director, Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL’s written statement is available here.

“While it is clear that Sikh Americans are not alone in experiencing a rise in hate crimes, the experience of our community is important to understand how dangerous this current era of inflammatory rhetoric promises to be if action is not taken,” said Dr. Singh in his testimony.

Dr. Singh’s written statement is available here and the Sikh Coalition’s submitted testimony is here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is 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.

Since 1913, the mission of the Anti-Defamation League has been to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all.”  Dedicated to combating anti-Semitism, prejudice, and bigotry of all kinds, as well as defending democratic ideals and promoting civil rights, ADL is proud of its leadership role in developing innovative materials, programs, and services that build bridges of communication, understanding, and respect among diverse racial, religious, and ethnic groups.  Over the past three decades, ADL has been recognized as a leading resource on effective responses to violent bigotry, conducting an annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, and drafting model hate crime statutes for state legislatures.  ADL was privileged to lead a broad coalition of civil rights, religious, educational, professional, law enforcement, and civic organizations working in support of the 2009 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) for more than a decade. 

The Sikh Coalition is working towards the realization of civil and human rights for all people. With over 15 years of legal and policy expertise on issues related to hate crimes, please visit www.sikhcoalition.org  for more information about the Sikh Coalition’s work to prevent hate and discrimination.