News Release

Islamophobia

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SUE UDRY, sue at rightsanddissent.org, @defenddissent
Udry is executive director of Defending Rights and Dissent, a national civil liberties organization. The group just put out a release this morning: “Witnesses at Senate Raise Serious Concerns for Civil Rights and Civil Liberty Groups,” which states: “On Wednesday, June, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing entitled ‘Ideology and Terror: Understanding the Tools, Tactics, and Techniques of Violent Extremism.’ …

“The HSGAC hearing is a thinly veiled attempt to bring the anti-Muslim protests staged in various cities over the past weekend into the Senate. HSGAC Chair, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), has invited Ayann Hirsi Ali, Asra Nomani, and John Lenczowski to spew their oft-debunked theories of ‘creeping Sharia’ and a ‘clash of civilizations’ narrative that are the staple of the Islamophobia industry. Their written testimony submitted for the record does not address crime, violence, or terrorism, instead, all three assert that the real threat is law-abiding Muslims in our society.

“In giving a platform to these three, HSGAC is helping to fuel fear and suspicion of Muslims at a time when hate crimes against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim are increasing.”