Muslims, Jews must unite against hate: US lawmaker

WASHINGTON

Muslim and Jewish communities in the U.S. need to unite against hate caused by white supremacy, congresswoman Ilhan Omar said Wednesday.

"We know that many of the people who are targeting the Jewish community for anti-Semitism are also targeting the Muslim community for Islamophobia," Omar said in an interview with Democracy Now radio program.

"And so we have to collectively work together to uplift our voices and say no to hate. We know that both our communities here in the United States are targeted by white supremacists."

According to a Pew Research Center poll earlier this month, the majority of Americans say Muslims face discrimination, and the number of people who say Jews face discrimination doubled since 2016.

A gunman opened fire Saturday on a synagogue in California, leaving one dead and three injured.

A user online, with the same name as the suspect John Earnest, posted an anti-Semitic letter earlier in the day. The writing was similar in style and tone to, and even mentioned, another letter posted by Brandon Tarrant, the perpetrator of the terrorist attacks on mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 worshippers in March.

"We know the conservatives are doing everything they can to distance themselves, to disinform the public about the monsters that they helped feed, that are now causing devastation in mosques and synagogues," Omar said.

"If we are not collectively wising up to that reality then we will suffer the pain of it."

Omar, who is one of the first two Muslim women lawmakers elected to Congress this year, has faced a slew of Islamophobic attacks since taking office, including threats against her life.