Sen. Warner blames Trump administration for surge in religious hate

(MENAFN) US Senator Mark Warner on Monday spoke out against the rising tide of religious discrimination and hate-driven extremism in the United States, directly criticizing the Trump administration for contributing to increasing Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment.

Warner told the Senate, “I rise today to specifically condemn the discrimination our Muslim and Arab American communities are facing because, unfortunately, this president and his administration have openly stoked and institutionalized Islamophobic discrimination.” He described the broader rise in hate-fueled extremism as “heartbreaking and anti-American.”

Highlighting recent remarks by President Donald Trump, Warner recalled a Cabinet meeting where Trump reportedly referred to individuals of Somali descent as “garbage” and said, “We don’t want them in our country.” The senator called these comments “disgusting, dehumanizing, and un-American” and urged that all public officials condemn them firmly.

Warner also criticized Islamophobic rhetoric within Congress, noting that a fellow senator had recently called Islam “a poisonous religion” incompatible with Western values. “All of us, but, especially those of us who serve in this body in public office, have a duty to end that silence and loudly and resolutely condemn Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate,” he said.

With the holy month of Ramadan approaching, Warner called for renewed efforts to confront prejudice and ensure that Muslim and Arab communities are protected from discrimination.

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