US: Lawyers demand probe into rise of Islamophobia

In the United States, 13 lawyers from around the world have called on more than 100 leading law firms to investigate the spread of Islamophobia and hatred against Arabs and Muslims.

The lawyers said, in a letter they signed, that Arabs, Muslims, and other minorities, including many lawyers of color and Jews, are afraid to express their sympathy for the Palestinian people because they fear retaliation.

They also said that some law firms have expressed support for Israel while remaining silent about the killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians.

The letter, signed by the American Muslim Bar Association, the National Association of Muslim Lawyers, and other groups, states that some law firms have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support Israel; but they have not raised money for humanitarian aid for innocent Palestinians.

The letter from the Muslim Bar Associations on November 1 to deans of law schools states: “The overall message is that the lives of Israelis and Jews are important; but the lives of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims do not matter.”

The letter is the latest in a series of calls for action against Islamophobia in the United States, as in recent years, there has been a rise in hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs, and there is growing concern about the spread of Islamophobia in the American society.