A Bengali-American state senator from Virginia has introduced a bill to criminalize Islamophobia.
The bill, introduced by state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim, would define “Islamophobia” “as it relates to the crime of assault and battery as malicious prejudice or hatred directed toward Islam or Muslims.”
The summary for Salim’s bill says that the Islamophobia definition “applies regardless of whether the victim is actually a practitioner of Islam, provided that the perpetrator targeted such victim based on a perceived adherence to such faith. The bill also clarifies that religious conviction includes Islam.”
The bill “directs the Department of State Police, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to include the bill’s definition of ‘Islamophobia’ in its hate crime reporting central repository.”
Salim represents Virginia’s district 37, which includes all of Fairfax City and Falls Church City, and parts of Fairfax County.
Hellbound and Down 