US House passes bill to combat Islamophobia after GOP member's anti-Muslim comment

The US House of Representatives, on December 13, passed legislation to combat global Islamophobia in light of anti-Muslim statements made by GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert against Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar last month.  

The bill, which was passed Tuesday (December 14) night, requires the US State Department to appoint a special envoy to monitor and combat Islamophobia as well as to include state-sponsored Islamophobic violence and impunity in the Department's yearly human rights reports. The special envoy, as per various media reports that cited the bill, will assist policymakers in better understanding the interrelated, worldwide phenomenon of anti-Muslim discrimination. 

According to a legislative description, the bill, now on its way to the US Senate, where it is expected to stall, also plans to establish a comprehensive strategy for promoting US leadership in combating Islamophobia internationally, AP reported. 

It should be mentioned here that Republicans, during an extended committee debate on December 9, had stated that there was no need to track Islamophobia and such a monitor post would be used to oppress conservatives. They claimed that it would undermine anti-Semitism efforts and potentially incite anti-Semites, AP reported. Notably, the bill aimed at combatting Islamophobia was passed 219-212 in the House. 

Boebert called Omar a member of 'Jihad squad'

A vote on the new legislation comes just a few weeks after a video surfaced showing Boebert referring to Omar as a member of a Jihad squad and claiming that a Capitol Police officer mistook her for a suicide bomber during an elevator encounter on Capitol Hill.

Boebert apologised on Twitter to the Muslim community and said she had contacted Omar's office to speak with her directly. According to a statement from Omar and Boebert's account of the call, Omar hung up on Boebert after the Colorado Republican refused to publicly apologise to her, AP reported.  

Republicans, opposing the bill, said that it was too quickly produced, failed to fully define “Islamophobia” and shouldn’t provide special protections for Muslims separate from other religious groups, AP reported.

"Let's face it, aside from the attempts to placate an anti-Semitic member of this chamber, all that's really happening here is that House Democrats are deflecting from the real issue confronting the House of Representatives, and that is that the maker of this bill has no business sitting on House committees has no business in this chamber," GOP Rep. Scott Perry was quoted by AP as saying. 

Democrats, outraged by Perry's statements, quickly filed a formal complaint, requesting that his remarks be removed from the record. Perry was eventually judged to have made inappropriate remarks that were not in accordance with House rules, AP reported.

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP)