[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 198 (Friday, December 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H6067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         DENOUNCING THE RISE OF ANTI-ARAB HATE AND ISLAMOPHOBIA

  (Ms. BALINT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BALINT. Mr. Speaker, three young college students went for a walk 
in Burlington, Vermont, during their Thanksgiving break: Hishem, 
Kinnaan, and Taahseen spoke Arabic to one another and wore keffiyehs.
  They were shot.
  Whether or not this meets the legal standard for hate crime, we know 
this was a hateful act. The recent rise in Islamophobia in this country 
has led to deadly violence. It is deeply disturbing and frightening.
  I want to be clear: Leaders in this very Chamber need to 
unequivocally denounce the rise of anti-Arab hate and Islamophobia. 
Words matter.
  We need to lead with our values--community and acceptance--rather 
than hatred and fear.
  No one should be targeted because of their ethnicity or their 
religion. It has no place in Vermont. It has no place anywhere. We all 
have a part to play. We need to speak up and stand with our Muslim 
neighbors and friends now.
  The eyes of the Nation are on Vermont, and we want to make it 
absolutely clear to Americans that we will stand against this kind of 
violence and hate.

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