Denounce Sen. John Kennedy’s Islamophobic Hate Speech

During a Senate hearing on hate crimes, Republican Senator John Kennedy unleashed a vile, Islamophobic attack on civil rights leader Maya Berry. Berry is the executive director of the Arab American Institute and a respected leader in the fight against hate and discrimination.

Kennedy baselessly accused her of supporting Hamas and Hezbollah without any evidence. He then told her to "hide [her] head in a bag" – drawing gasps of shock from the audience.

We cannot allow hate speech to become normalized, especially from elected officials. 

As Maya Berry pointed out during the hearing, "I came here to testify on hate crimes, and instead, I experienced the very hate this hearing was supposed to address." Berry’s presence at the hearing was vital, and her expertise is widely respected in civil rights circles. 

Patrick Gaspard, president of the Center for American Progress, also condemned Kennedy’s remarks, stating that this kind of rhetoric only serves to further normalize hate speech in our political discourse.

This is far from the first time Senator Kennedy has used inflammatory and racist rhetoric, particularly targeting Muslims and Arabs. Just last year, Kennedy made derogatory comments about Mexicans, drawing sharp condemnation from Mexico’s government.

Sign our petition to condemn Senator Kennedy’s Islamophobic comments and stand up for the voices of Arab and Muslim Americans. Let’s send a message that hate has no place in our government.