Attorney General visits mosque; rebukes 'Trumpism'

 AG Loretta Lynch: "When one of us is threatened, we all have to speak out,"

ATTORNEY GENERAL Loretta Lynch went to a mosque today (Dec. 12) to address a interfaith audience in Sterling, VA about the wave of Islamaphobic acts this year and in particular since the presidential elections in November. 

Her speech was a courageous rebuke of the hatred spewing forth from the supporters of the president-elect. Although she did not mention Donald Trump's name, her target was clear to all of those in the audience - Trumpism.

She cited the recently released FBI report that showed a "67 percent increase in hate crimes committed against Muslim/Americans, and the highest total of anti-Muslim incidents since 2001, when 9/11 spurred so many reprehensible acts.

"Regardless of our faith, we believe that we must treat others as we would wish to be treated," she said. "Regardless of our faith, we believe that every individual is precious. Regardless of our faith, we believe in our common humanity, and we believe that, in the famous words of Martin Luther King Jr., 'injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'"

Her visit to All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center was Lynch's first visit to a mosque since she replaced Eric Holder two years ago.

RELATED: 

• Muslim Americans ask for Trump meeting
• AG issues statement on hate crimes
• Trump-inspired hate oozes out of America's sewers
• Loretta Lynch's complete speech at the mosque
• FBI report says hate crimes spike against Muslims

"In recent months, our Civil Rights Division – led by Vanita Gupta, ... – along with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, " she recounted, "have convicted a Connecticut man for firing a high-powered rifle at a mosque; a Florida man for threatening to firebomb two mosques and shoot their congregants; a Missouri man for the arson of a local mosque; and a North Carolina man who yelled at a woman and ripped off her hijab on an airplane. And in October, our National Security Division and the U.S Attorney’s Office in Kansas charged three men in connection with their plot to detonate bombs at an apartment complex in Garden City, Kansas, which included a mosque where many members of the local Somali immigrant community gather to pray. These are only a few examples of the Justice Department’s recent prosecutions."

Near her conclusion, Lynch said: "You and I know what the declaration means when it says, 'All men are created equal.' You and I know what the Constitution means when it says, 'We, the people.' 

"So let us leave here united in our confidence, inspired by our faith and strengthened by our courage. Let us leave here with a renewed commitment to demanding nothing less than a country that is true to its founding promises. And let us leave here in hope – the hope that has brought the United States so far in the last 240 years; the hope that I am confident will carry us even further in the days to come."

She urged the audience that they all have to speak out when they see a hate act committed against their neighbors. "When one of us is threatened, we all have to speak out," she said.

###

Muslim Americans ask to meet with Trump

NYPD photo

NYPD Officer Aml Elsokary, who was wearing a hijab and was off-duty with her 16-year-old son, was harassed and threatened in Brooklyn.on

ASAM NEWS
A MUSLIM POLICE HERO with the New York Police Department who saved a baby from a burning building two years ago is asking for a meeting with President-elect Trump.

Yahoo reports the request was inspired after that officer, Aml Elsokary, witnessed her son being shoved by a man who later threatened to cut off her throat, told her to go back to her country, and called her a terrorist.

Elsokary was off duty at the time.

There are about 1,000 Muslims in the NYPD. The incident prompted a meeting with the NYPD Muslim Officers Society which wrote a letter to Trump requesting a meeting.

The NYPD says there has been a 115 percent spike in hate crimes since the election. Many have pointed to the incendiary rhetoric of Trump during the campaign and white supremacist groups have openly stated their alt-right movement has gained legitimacy due to Trump’s victory. 

The President-elect, when asked by the media, has told his supporters to stop, but he has been more outspoken about the way he is portrayed in comedy sketches on Saturday Night Live than he has about hate crimes.

“President-elect Trump needs to hear from and respond to the concerns of Officer Elsokary and other Muslim members of our law enforcement community,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. 

“They are not only the first line of defense on our streets; they are ambassadors of the American diversity that they represent, and millions of their brother and sister citizens are as concerned about their welfare as they are their own. Whether or not we have an invitation to Trump Tower, I promise that their message will be directly delivered.

Last week, almost 300 Muslim leaders released an open letter to Trump expressing their "serious concerns" about his policy proposals and calling on him to protect their communities.

The letter includes American Muslims at the forefront of community service, education and empowerment in diverse settings such as the academy, mosques, advocacy, and civic and interfaith engagement.

Prominent signatories include Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Khizr Khan (the Gold Star father who spoke passionately in defense of the Constitution at the Democratic National Convention), Dalia Mogahed (Author of "Who Speaks for Islam?"), Imam Suhaib Webb (CenterDC) and Husain Abdullah, a former NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs.

The letter states in part:

“Like other Americans, we love our country and are committed to preserving religious freedom, equal opportunity and equal protection under the law for all. As our President-Elect, one of your duties is to ensure our collective safety and security. This includes protecting the First Amendment rights of all Americans to freely practice their faith, without fear, intimidation or reprisal. . .

“Your recent denunciation of such behavior on 60 Minutes was a positive first step, and we urge you to clearly and strongly condemn bigotry, hate crimes and bias-based school bullying directed at any American, including American Muslims. We call on you to make mutual respect and acceptance a hallmark of your presidency."

The Department of Justice revealed that Attorney General Loretta Lynch will be visiting the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center in Sterling on (Dec. 12) Monday morning.

In a video statement issued last month, Lynch said the spike in hate crimes and the new numbers should be "deeply sobering for all Americans." She said some of the acts have happened in schools and others have targeted houses of worship.

"We will continue to enforce our nation's hate crimes laws to the fullest extent possible," Lynch said. "We will continue to uphold our conviction that all men and women deserve to lead lives of safety and dignity. And we will continue to champion the values of diversity and inclusion that have always been the bedrock of our nation's progress, and that point the way to a brighter future.

Since the Nov. 8 elections, there has been a spike in anti-Muslim attacks, reports the Southern Poverty Law Center, which keeps track of hate crimes.

Most recently, the Oklahoma chapter of the CAIR-OK on Dec. 9 called on the FBI to join a hate crime investigation of a dead pig being dumped at an Islamic center in that state. (NOTE: Muslims are prohibited from consuming pork products and bigots often use pigs or pork to offend Muslim sensibilities.)

Police say the pig was dumped at the Islamic Center of Lawton in Lawton, Okla., Dec. 7. Surveillance video shows a pick-up truck pulling into the parking lot of the center and turning around. The truck backs up and the pig’s carcass falls off the tailgate. The vehicle then drives away.

Earlier this week, police reported that a uniformed MTA officer - who wears and Islamic head scarf (hijab) – was assaulted by a man who yelled “You’re a terrorist and you shouldn’t be working for the city.” The alleged attacker, reportedly shoved the MTA employee down a flight of stairs, injuring her knee and ankle. The NYPD and New York State Division of Human Rights are investigating the attack as a bias incident.

There has not been a response from Donald Trump or his anyone in his transition team to the requests for a meeting with Muslim/Americans.
(Views From the Edge contributed to this report)

###

U.S. Attorney General issues statement on hate crimes

Attorney General Loretta Lynch

ATTORNEY GENERAL Loretta E. Lynch released a statement Nov. 18 on the FBI’s newly announced 2015 hate crime statistics as well as on recent media reports of alleged hate crimes and harassment around the country. 

“Earlier this week, the FBI released its statistics on hate crimes committed in 2015," said Lynch. "These numbers should be deeply sobering for all Americans. Among other alarming trends, the report showed a 67 percent increase in hate crimes committed against Muslim Americans. It also showed increases in the number of hate crimes committed against Jewish people, African Americans, and LGBT individuals. 

When the administration of Donald Trump takes office, we can expect fewer statements and investigations of hate crimes and civil rights violations. Trump has named arch-conservative Sen. Jeff Sessions, who was once denied a judgeship because of his racist views, to become the new U.S. Attorney General.

RELATED:

• Jeff Sessions nomination is troubling to civil rights, immigration activists
• Hate crimes against Muslims spike
• Trump's America off to a scary start

The statement reminds individuals to report these incidents to both local law enforcement and the Justice Department in order to ensure that career investigators and prosecutors are able to enforce hate crime statutes at the local, state and federal level.

"Overall, the number of reported hate crimes increased six percent – a number that does not account for the many hate crimes that may go unreported out of shame or fear," said Lynch.

“Beyond these 2015 statistics, I know that many Americans are concerned by a spate of recent news reports about alleged hate crimes and harassment. Some of these incidents have happened in schools. Others have targeted houses of worship. And some have singled out individuals for attacks and intimidation. 

"The FBI is assessing, in conjunction with federal prosecutors, whether particular incidents constitute violations of federal law. We need you to continue to report these incidents to local law enforcement, as well as the Justice Department, so that our career investigators and prosecutors can take action to defend your rights. "

Information about federal hate crimes laws – and other civil rights laws that the department enforces, including protections for students in schools – on the Civil Rights Division’s website. The DOJ site also contains resources for communities working to prevent and respond to hate crimes.

“But despite the tremendous progress we have made," continued Lynch, "we cannot lose sight of how much remains to be done. Nearly two decades after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. were brutally murdered simply for being who they were, we still have a long way to go to ensure that every American can live free from the fear of violence or harassment based what they look like, how they worship, or whom they love.

“That work is not just about enforcing the law. It’s about staying true to our highest ideals and most cherished principles. It’s about making sure that all Americans receive the protection of the law. And it’s about giving real meaning to our shared belief that all people are created equal.

“Put simply, this work is the right – and just – thing to do. And I want the American people to know that as long as that work is necessary, the Department of Justice will continue to carry it forward. 

"We will continue to enforce our nation’s hate crimes laws to the fullest extent possible. We will continue to uphold our conviction that all men and women deserve to lead lives of safety and dignity. And we will continue to champion the values of diversity and inclusion that have always been the bedrock of our nation’s progress, and that point the way to a brighter future,” she concludes.

We'll miss you AG Lynch.