|
Holder vows to Arab Americans to prosecute hate crimes
Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday vowed to prosecute hate crimes aimed at Arabs, Muslims and Sikhs in the United States, as he marked the anniversary of President Barack Obama's speech in Egypt on American and Muslim relations in Egypt, urging peaceful and civil connections.Holder said the Justice Department has opened several investigations aimed at hate-fueled crimes. He mentioned only one -- and drew applause-- as he noted the FBI is involved in the investigation of last month's pipe bomb attack on a Jacksonville, Florida, mosque. "This case is a top concern for the FBI," Holder said. Holder said he has heard from Arab Americans and Muslim Americans who are uneasy about their relationship with the federal government. "They tell me that too often it feels like us versus them," Holder said. "The era of us versus them that some of you have experienced must end. At long last it is ending," he said. Holder did not mention terrorism in his address to the annual gathering of the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee. He made only one oblique reference to a plot aimed at U.S. citizens. "Let us not forget, it was a Muslim-American man who first alerted the New York police to a smoking car in Times Square. And his vigilance likely helped to save lives," Holder said to applause. The attorney general also said he is continuing to monitor an internal Justice Department review designed, if necessary, to tighten President Bush's 2003 policy which prohibits racial profiling. "I want to be clear about something. Racial profiling is wrong. It can leave a lasting scar on communities and individuals. And, it is quite simply bad policing," Holder declared. Posted by: ryuge 2010-06-05 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=298299 |