The Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to address anti-Muslim and anti-Arab biases in tandem with activist groups shortly after Hamasâs Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel ignited a wave of antisemitism, newly released documents show.
The Biden-Harris administrationâs top law enforcement engaged with âMuslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian communities,â dubbed âMASSAâ groups, in the weeks following the Islamic terrorist attack, according to internal communications obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The DOJâs Civil Rights Division (CRD) under former Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke consulted MASSA groups to help counter âbacklashâ against their communities, comparing it to the aftermath of 9/11.
Former President Joe Bidenâs CRD âessentially functioned as an arm of leftist groups,â American First Legal (AFL) President Gene Hamilton, whose organization acquired the documents through public records requests, told the DCNF.
âThe Biden Department of Justice was singularly focused on advancing a radical, weaponized agenda instead of protecting the American people,â Hamilton said.
The CRD planned a meeting in November 2023 with groups that included Muslim groups Emgage and Muslim Advocates, as well as the Sikh Coalition and United Sikhs, the records show. The meeting was slated to address problems plaguing âMASSAâ communities such as âHate Crimes Against Arabs And Others In the U.S. in Connection withâ the Israel-Hamas war, âAsylum and Visa Delaysâ and âProfiling and Bias in Policing.â Other listed topics pertained to alleged âdoxxingâ and âhateâ directed at those advocating for Palestinians, especially on college campuses.
Muslim Advocates, the Sikh Coalition, Emgage and United Sikhs did not respond to the DCNFâs requests for comment.
Clarke and other DOJ officials did meet with âJewish community leadersâ in Washington, D.C., the week of the CRDâs event, according to a DOJ press release. The DOJ has held meetings with Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian, and Hindu groups since the 9/11 attacks, the DOJ said.
Another scheduled November 2023 meeting between DOJ officials was dubbed âPost-9/11 Backlash Huddle,â an email shows.
Reports of antisemitic hate crimes reached an all-time high in 2023, according to the FBI. Anti-Jewish incidents accounted for a majority of hate crimes based on religion in 2023, while anti-Muslim and anti-Sikh cases comprised about 14% of them combined. Anti-Arab hate crimes made up less than half of racially-motivated incidents.
One unnamed âMASSAâ group contacted the DOJ about the October 2023 murder of a woman in Conroe, Texas, leading the DOJ to believe it may be a âhate crime,â emails show.
âThis is on the FBIâs radar and they are activated,â Clarke said in an email responding to news coverage. Investigators have found no evidence that prejudice motivated the Conroe murder, The Houston Chronicle reported.
A Civil Rights Division official also emailed Clarke on October 16, 2023, claiming Trumpâs ârhetoricâ about Muslims during the 2016 presidential election cycle âled to an uptick in armed protests outside of mosques around the country, an increase in hate crimes, etc,â the documents show.
The Biden-Harris administration mentioned antisemitism more frequently in the documents AFL obtained before Oct. 7 alongside discussions of white supremacy, which Biden called âthe most lethal terrorist threatâ to America in 2021.
âThis Department of Justice no longer weaponizes federal civil rights laws to advance a political agenda against those with certain religious beliefs,â a DOJ spokesperson told the DCNF. âWe have no comment on the actions of the previous administration.â
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