Attorney General Eric Holder, after meeting with interfaith leaders this afternoon, released a statement this afternoon saying that anti-Muslim violence won’t be tolerated.
“As the Attorney General has noted on previous occasions, violence against individuals or institutions based on religious bias is intolerable and the Department will bring anyone who commits such crimes to justice,” spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
At the meeting, Miller said, “the Attorney General reiterated the Department’s strong commitment to prosecuting hate crimes, and noted several successes the Department has achieved in recent months.”
He said Holder and the religious leaders discussed the DOJ’s “strong commitment to prosecuting hate crimes, and noted several successes the Department has achieved in recent months.”
It’s the first time the DOJ has spoken so publicly about the recent uptick in anti-Muslim sentiment since it hit a fever pitch this summer. Some leaders, including Rabbi David Saperstein, who was at the meeting today, have called for a stronger public position from the Obama administration to stem the tide of violence and violent rhetoric directed at Muslims.
Holder met with the interfaith leaders after they held a press conference this afternoon to denounce anti-Muslim rhetoric.
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