At a time when bias incidents are on the rise, advocates gathered outside the Statehouse on Monday to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. . . .
Several speakers also urged the Legislature to reject a bill that would adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance or IHRA, definition of antisemitism. “The IHRA definition of antisemitism is a tool to silence criticism about Israel, not protect Jews,” said Raz Segal, professor of Holocaust and genocide studies for Stockton University. “Everyone in the U.S. has a first Amendment right to free speech, including criticizing the policies of any state.” “Our document recognizes that the fight against Islamophobia is intertwined with the fight against antisemitism,” said Segal.
Added Sahar Aziz, director of the Center for Security, Race and Rights at Rutgers Law School: “Today the most pervasive form of Islamophobia occurs on American college campuses, where Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and South Asian students are denied their right to exercise free speech. They are punished for partaking in a proud American tradition, one that distinguishes our democracy from authoritarian states: the right to non-violent protest to dissent against American policies.”
The advocates called for the Legislature to hold hearings on the rise of Islamophobia on college campuses.
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