AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A Bengali-American state senator in Virginia, Saddam Azlan Salim, has introduced a bill to the state legislature that seeks to establish a legal definition of Islamophobia and criminalize it within the framework of the state’s penal laws.
Under the proposal, Islamophobia is defined as “hostile prejudice or hatred against Islam or Muslims” and would be recognized as a hate-based motive in cases of assault and attack. The text of the bill emphasizes that this definition would also apply in instances where the victim is not, in fact, Muslim, provided that the perpetrator targeted the individual based on a perceived religious affiliation.
The bill further mandates the Virginia State Police, in cooperation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to incorporate and apply the definition of Islamophobia within the state’s central hate-crime reporting system.
Saddam Azlan Salim represents Virginia’s 37th district, which includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, as well as parts of Fairfax County.
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