Following weeks of anti-Muslim bigotry and acts of hatred, Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Mike Honda (D-CA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), and André Carson (D-IN), along with 63 original cosponsors, introduced legislation condemning violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslim-Americans.

“We must show that we will not tolerate this anti-Muslim discrimination and that those who propagate it do not represent the melting-pot America that we celebrate,” said Rep. Don Beyer.  “These harmful words eventually lead to the very acts of violence many came to our country to escape in the first place.  It’s time Congress stood up to condemn these attacks which run contrary to American values.”

“America’s highest ideals include our protections for religious liberty and the celebration of our differences. It is a mistake to lump millions of peaceful, liberty-loving Muslim Americans together with the brutal zealots who are working continuously to hijack their faith,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur.  “Anti-Muslim speeches and statements only serve to divide us and pit Americans against one another. Bigotry and the violence it perpetrates are not worthy of the legacy of generations who have fought and sacrificed to make America the nation that it is today.”

“As we see many Americans expressing their fears, their leaders at every level have a special obligation to lead,” Congresswoman Norton said.  “The concerns of the American people about terrorism in civil society after Paris and San Bernardino are understandable, but embracing Islamophobia as a way to cope with those fears is not only unacceptable, but dangerous.  The main purpose of terrorism is to provoke division.  Terrorists lose when, instead, we embrace our Muslim brothers and sisters.”