(USNewsMag.com) – Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is facing widespread criticism from the public after releasing a video announcement on social media about the “first national strategy to counter Islamophobia.”
Users took issue with the timing of the announcement, which happened nearly a month after the radical Islamic militant group Hamas attacked Israel in a coordinated strike that left an estimated 1,400 dead. After the attack, Israel launched a siege on Palestinian territories in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, killing thousands more and displacing millions of Palestinians, leading to international protests against the Jewish state calling for a cease-fire.
In a video announcement posted on Twitter last week on Wednesday, Harris said that it’s “a national priority” to take on hate and that the White House’s plan will “combat a surge of hate” in the country.
The response to the video was primarily negative. While the White House and most Democrats are focusing on Islamophobia against Muslim Americans, others are more concerned about a perceived rise in antisemitism as a result of Israel’s military response to the Hamas attack. Although Harris mentioned antisemitism during her announcement, the focus of the White House plan is to reduce Islamophobia.
Stephen Miller, editor for The Spectator, called the announcement “stunning,” noting that Hamas leadership went “on international TV” the very same day and declared “their goal is to erase Jews and Israel off the planet.”
Political commentator and university professor Gad Saad also commented on the White House initiative, noting that the FBI has clocked in “60% of hate crimes” as directed toward Jews, who only “make up 2.4% of the US population.”
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton also pointed out the absurdity of making Islamophobia the “top concern” of the White House after Jews just endured “the worst massacre… since the Holocaust” and “pro-Hamas activism” has broken out on campuses across the country.
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