AG Loretta Lynch will take action against those who incite Islamophobic hate speech and violence

AG Loretta Lynch.

Speaking at the Muslim Advocates’ 10th annual dinner on Thursday, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has announced that her Department of Justice will go after Islamophobic hate speech that incites violence against the Muslim-American community, and of course right-wingers and Islamophobes aren’t too happy about this news one bit.

John Stanton at BuzzFeed News:

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Thursday warned that the Justice Department could take aggressive action against people whose anti-Muslim rhetoric “edges towards violence” and told the Muslim community that “we stand with you in this.”

Speaking at Muslim Advocate’s 10th anniversary dinner, Lynch said since the terrorist attacks in Paris last month, she is increasingly concerned with the “incredibly disturbing rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric … that fear is my greatest fear.”

Dean Obediallah at The Daily Beast:

“The Muslim American community is expanding, which is beautiful.” I doubt you would ever hear these words uttered by a Republican governmental official anywhere. And we definitely know it’s not something you will hear from the 2016 GOP presidential candidates.

But those were the very words that United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch told the sold-out crowd on Thursday night at the Muslim Advocates 10th anniversary dinner.

[…]

But Lynch went further than just speaking out against anti-Muslim hate. In stark contrast to Trump’s vow to close American mosques, Lynch made it clear that she will fight for the rights of American Muslims to “expand and build mosques.” She added that “the Department of Justice is there for you” to ensure Muslims have the same rights as Americans of other faiths to build houses of worship.

[…]

No doubt some on the right will be outraged that Lynch appeared at a Muslim advocacy event. But then again these are generally the same people who demonize the Black Lives Matter Movement and attack La Raza, the Latino advocacy group. You get a sense that some of the people on the right simply want people of color to shut our mouths in the face of injustice. That in their view, we should just be happy we are allowed to live in “their country,” despite the fact we are also American citizens. These right-wingers can get as outraged as they want, but they should know we will never be silent.

Josh Gerstein at Politico:

With terrorist attacks in Paris and a shooting spree in California prompting alarm on the part of many Americans, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Thursday that her “greatest fear” is that expressions of anti-Muslim sentiment will lead to attacks on Muslims in the U.S.

“The fear that you have just mentioned is in fact my greatest fear as a prosecutor, as someone who is sworn to the protection of all of the American people, which is that the rhetoric will be accompanied by acts of violence,” Lynch told a dinner hosted by a Muslim civil rights organization. “My message to not just the Muslim community but to the entire American community is: we cannot give in to the fear that these backlashes are really based on.”

[…]

“I know people are saying, ‘Oh, if you stop the refugees,’ and passing a bill and make people sign to guarantee them … you know, this is not the way,” Lynch said, apparently referring to a measure the House passed last month. “I will look at anything and consider anything that will keep the American people safe but … you take aggressive action you don’t take impetuous action.”

“My view is that we cannot be ruled by fear. When we are ruled by fear, we actually are not making ourselves safe,” Lynch declared. “My message to the Muslim community is we stand with you in this.”

AG Lynch is correct, and that has righties (and sadly some on the left) mad as hell that their Islamophobic bigotry got called out.

Leada Gorde at AL.com reports that AG Lynch will investigate the unfair arrest of Ahmed Mohamed:

The Justice Department is investigating the case of a 14-year-old Muslim boy who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to his Texas high school.

Speaking at a Thursday event held by Muslim Advocates, a national legal advocacy group, Lynch said her department is looking into the actions of the Irving, Texas Police Department in the September arrest of high school freshman Ahmed Mohamed.

Mohamed was questioned and threatened with suspension after bringing what he described as a homemade clock to school. Police said a teacher had contacted authorities over concerns the item was a bomb. No charges were filed against Mohamed, but that did not stop outcry that the teen was targeted because he was Muslim.

“We have opened an investigation into the case of the young man in Irving, Texas so we will see where that goes,” Lynch said.