Statement on the Senate Judiciary Committee Hate Crimes Hearing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL ARAB AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION

On September 17, 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened a Hearing on “Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America.” Instead of addressing the real and serious threat of hate crimes in our country, several Senators took the opportunity to attack Maya Berry, Executive Director of the Arab American Institute and the sole Arab or Muslim witness testifying at the Hearing.

Among numerous problematic statements, certain Senators ignored the objective of the Hearing while invoking the racist trope that Arab Americans are “terrorists” and “agents of Hamas,” repeatedly suggesting that Ms. Berry—a respected community leader—was a terrorist simply because of her status as an Arab American. After accusing Ms. Berry of supporting terrorism despite her plain and clear denials, Senator John N. Kennedy of Louisiana concluded by stating that her head should be “in a bag.”

 A hate crime hearing in the Senate is not a place for hate speech. Indeed, dehumanizing and racist rhetoric incites the very hate crimes that the Senate Hearing was meant to stem. Notably, these statements were made in front of the mother of Wadea Alfayoumi, a six-year old Illinoisan who was stabbed to death by a murderer who reportedly shouted “Palestinians don’t deserve to live.” 

NAABA applauds Senator Richard Durbin for his efforts in attempting to address hate crimes in our country and for offering an inclusive forum that included the Arab American community. We condemn the racist and dehumanizing language used during the Senate Hearing, which was hurtful and cruel. We urge the Senate to censure Senator Kennedy as well as other Senators for their statements and behavior. And we urge the Senate to create a national task force to investigate how racism and hate speech fuel hate crimes against Arab Americans and other communities.

National Arab American Bar Association

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