The Biden administration is launching new tools to tackle the increasing problem of antisemitism and Islamophobia on college campuses nationwide post the Israel-Hamas war. Included will be a roster of resources from the Department of Education targeting the prevention of antisemitism and Islamophobia in schools from elementary to college levels. Two guides will be introduced, one for young students and one for higher education institutions, put together by the National Center for Safe and Supportive Learning Environments, a technical assistance center funded by the Education Department, as per the White House.
Supplementing these are initiatives recently announced by the White House, such as the creation of a national strategy to counter Islamophobia, that will have the Department of Justice and Homeland Security work collaboratively with campus law enforcement to nullify growing antisemitism threats on college campuses, parallel to the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel to safeguard the environments of the schools.
At the epicenter of these moves are cybersecurity and protective security advisors operating under the aegis of the Department of Homeland Security to help schools deal with the increasingly hostile landscape.
In response to a spate of antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents, with Columbia University suspending two student groups for taking an anti-Israel stance, President Joe Biden has been compelled to react to address the intensifying attacks.
The Education Department is hosting a webinar series on hateful acts, while the United States Department of Agriculture will present webinars aimed at understanding how such incidents have unfolded on rural college campuses.
Following the spike in antisemitic incidents last month as per the Anti-Defamation League, reports of bias from Muslims across the U.S. also soared, while over 11,000 people, including women and children, have lost their lives in Gaza, reported Palestinian health officials. “We cannot stand by and remain silent,” President Biden said in Oval Office address last month. “We must, without doubt, denounce antisemitism. We must also, without doubt, denounce Islamophobia.”
The updated version of this article was originally posted on NBCNews.com.
