[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 183 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 183
Condemning anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are
contradictory to the values and aspirations that define the people of
the United States and condemning anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry
against minorities as hateful expressions of intolerance that are
contrary to the values and aspirations of the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 7, 2019
Mr. Raskin (for himself and Mr. Richmond) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and
in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are
contradictory to the values and aspirations that define the people of
the United States and condemning anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry
against minorities as hateful expressions of intolerance that are
contrary to the values and aspirations of the United States.
Whereas the first amendment to the Constitution established the United States as
a country committed to the principles of tolerance and religious
freedom, and the 14th amendment to the Constitution established equal
protection of the laws as the heart of justice in the United States;
Whereas adherence to these principles is vital to the progress of the American
people and the diverse communities and religious groups of the United
States;
Whereas whether from the political right, center, or left, bigotry,
discrimination, oppression, racism, and imputations of dual loyalty
threaten American democracy and have no place in American political
discourse;
Whereas White supremacists in the United States have exploited and continue to
exploit bigotry and weaponize hate for political gain, targeting
traditionally persecuted peoples, including African Americans, Native
Americans, and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs,
immigrants, and others with verbal attacks, incitement, and violence;
Whereas the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., taught that persecution of any
American is an assault on the rights and freedoms of all Americans;
Whereas on August 11 and 12, 2017, self-identified neo-Confederates, White
nationalists, neo-Nazis, and Ku Klux Klansmen held White supremacist
events in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they marched on a synagogue
under the Nazi swastika, engaged in racist and anti-Semitic
demonstrations and committed brutal and deadly violence against peaceful
Americans;
Whereas a White nationalist murdered nine African-American worshipers at the
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South
Carolina, on the evening of June 17, 2015, in the hopes of igniting a
nationwide race war;
Whereas, on October 27, 2018, the perpetrator of the deadliest attack on Jewish
people in the history of the United States killed 11 worshippers at the
Tree of Life Synagogue building in Pittsburgh and reportedly stated that
he ``wanted all Jews to die'';
Whereas anti-Semitism is the centuries-old bigotry and form of racism faced by
Jewish people simply because they are Jews;
Whereas in 2017 the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported a 37-percent
increase in hate crimes against Jews or Jewish institutions and found
that attacks against Jews or Jewish institutions made up 58.1 percent of
all religious-based hate crimes;
Whereas there is an urgent need to ensure the safety and security of Jewish
communities, including synagogues, schools, cemeteries, and other
institutions;
Whereas Jews are the targets of anti-Semitic violence at even higher rates in
many other countries than they are in the United States;
Whereas it is a foreign policy priority of the United States to monitor and
combat anti-Semitism abroad;
Whereas anti-Semitism includes blaming Jews as Jews when things go wrong;
calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the
name of a radical ideology or extremist view of religion; or making
mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotyped allegations about
Jews;
Whereas Jewish people are subject in the media and political campaigns to
numerous other dangerous anti-Semitic myths as well, including that Jews
control the United States Government or seek global, political, and
financial domination and that Jews are obsessed with money;
Whereas scapegoating and targeting of Jews in the United States have persisted
for many years, including by the Ku Klux Klan, the America First
Committee, and by modern neo-Nazis;
Whereas accusing Jews of being more loyal to Israel or to the Jewish community
than to the United States constitutes anti-Semitism because it suggests
that Jewish citizens cannot be patriotic Americans and trusted
neighbors, when Jews have loyally served our Nation every day since its
founding, whether in public or community life or military service;
Whereas accusations of dual loyalty generally have an insidious and pernicious
history, including--
(1) the discriminatory incarceration of Americans of Japanese descent
during World War II on their basis of race and alleged dual loyalty;
(2) the Dreyfus affair, when Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish French artillery
captain, was falsely convicted of passing secrets to Germany based on his
Jewish background;
(3) when the loyalty of President John F. Kennedy was questioned
because of his Catholic faith; and
(4) the post-9/11 conditions faced by Muslim-Americans in the United
States, including Islamophobia and false and vicious attacks on and threats
to Muslim-Americans for alleged association with terrorism;
Whereas anti-Muslim bigotry entails prejudicial attitudes towards Muslims and
people who are perceived to be Muslim, including the irrational belief
that Muslims are inherently violent, disloyal, and foreign;
Whereas Muslims and people perceived to be Muslim are subjected to false and
dangerous stereotypes and myths including unfair allegations that they
sympathize with individuals who engage in violence or terror or support
the oppression of women, Jews, and other vulnerable communities;
Whereas in 2017, mosques were bombed in Bloomington, Minnesota, and burned in
Austin, Texas, Victoria, Texas, Bellevue, Washington, and Thonotosassa,
Florida, and mass attacks on Muslim communities were planned against
communities in Islamberg, New York, in 2019, Jacksonville, Florida, in
2017, and Garden City, Kansas, in 2016;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that hate crimes against
Muslims or Muslim institutions in the United States increased by over 99
percent between 2014 and 2016;
Whereas attacks motivated by bigotry against those who are Muslim or perceived
to be Muslim have substantially increased since the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks;
Whereas the violation of an individual's civil rights based on his or her actual
or perceived membership in a particular religious group clearly violates
the Constitution and laws of the United States; and
Whereas all Americans, including Jews, Muslims, and Christians and people of all
faiths and no faith, have a stake in fighting anti-Semitism, as all
Americans have a stake in fighting every form of bigotry and hatred
against people based on religion, race, or place of birth and origin:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) rejects the perpetuation of anti-Semitic stereotypes in
the United States and around the world, including the
pernicious myth of dual loyalty and foreign allegiance,
especially in the context of support for the United States-
Israel alliance;
(2) condemns anti-Semitic acts and statements as hateful
expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values
that define the people of the United States;
(3) reaffirms its support for the mandate of the United
States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism as
part of the broader policy priority of fostering international
religious freedom and protecting human rights all over the
world;
(4) rejects attempts to justify hatred or violent attacks
as an acceptable expression of disapproval or frustration over
political events in the Middle East or elsewhere;
(5) acknowledges the harm suffered by Muslims and others
from the harassment, discrimination, and violence that result
from anti-Muslim bigotry;
(6) condemns anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry against
all minorities as contrary to the values of the United States;
(7) condemns the death threats received by Jewish and
Muslim Members of Congress, including in recent weeks;
(8) encourages law enforcement and government officials to
avoid conduct that raises the specter of unconstitutional
profiling against anyone because of their race, religion,
nationality, political, or particular social group, including
the assignment of blame or targeting members of an entire
religious group for increased suspicion, based on the conduct
of a single individual or small group of individuals; and
(9) encourages all public officials to confront the reality
of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and other forms of
bigotry, as well as historical struggles against them, to
ensure that the United States will live up to the transcendent
principles of tolerance, religious freedom, and equal
protection as embodied in the Declaration of Independence and
the first and 14th amendments to the Constitution.
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