Our nation was founded on the fundamental principle that all people should have the freedom

to live, to worship, and to be without fear of violence or persecution.

Every person has the right to live safe from violence, hate and bigotry.

And for those reasons and so many more, President Joe Biden and I have a duty, not only

to keep the people of our nation safe, but to condemn unequivocally and forcefully all

forms of hate.

Since we took office, President Biden and I have fought to uphold that duty over the past

decade America has seen a rise in attacks on houses of worship.

So in response, we expanded funding to protect houses of worship from violence.

After a surge in hate during the pandemic, in particular anti-Asian hate, President

Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to improve the reporting of hate crimes and

to ensure hate crimes are investigated quickly and thoroughly.

Earlier this year, in response to an historic rise in anti-Semitic attacks, we also released

the first national strategy to counter anti-Semitism.

And to make clear, taking on hate is a national priority.

President Biden and I held the first White House summit to address hate-fueled violence

and we brought together religious leaders, community leaders, and survivors to continue

our work to keep all Americans safe.

And today, we take another important step forward in our fight against hate.

For years, Muslims in America and those perceived to be Muslim have endured a disproportionate

number of hate-fueled attacks.

As a result of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,

...