Hate Crimes Against Muslims
WHEREAS, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ("NAACP") affirms the constitutional right of all citizens to religious freedom and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and reaffirms its past resolutions (from 2003, 2010, 2011 and 2012) supporting the fair treatment of Muslims; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP recognizes that law-enforcement officials are sworn to protect all of the citizens in the communities in which they serve; and
WHEREAS, hate crimes against Muslims have soared to their highest levels since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to data compiled by researchers, an increase apparently fueled by divisive language on the 2016 campaign trail; and
WHEREAS, the most current hate crime statistics have documented hundreds of attacks including arsons at mosques, assaults, shootings and threats of violence - since the beginning of 2015 and the Southern Poverty Law Center reports that hate crimes against Muslims increased to 481 in 2016; and
WHEREAS, new data from researchers at a California public university found that hate crimes against American Muslims were up 78 percent over the course of 2015. Attacks on those perceived as Arab rose even more sharply and police and news media reports in recent months have indicated a continued flow of attacks, often against victims wearing traditional Muslim apparel or seen as being Middle Eastern; and
WHEREAS, there is some evidence that the violent backlash against American Muslims is driven by the Trump administration's recent proposed ban on immigration by Muslims from designated countries and proposed national registry of Muslims in the United States; and
WHEREAS, in January 2017, two mosques in Texas and one in the state of Washington were destroyed by arson.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP categorically opposes any Trump administration executive order seeking to impose any religious-based ban on persons entering the United States; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP calls upon the President of the United States to discontinue his demonization of Muslims as persons primarily responsible for terrorism in the United States and to disavow in unequivocal terms all hate crimes against Muslims; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP calls upon the United States Department of Justice and all state and local officials to prosecute hate crimes against Muslims to the fullest extent of the law.