Newly released documents show that the Department of Justice (DOJ) worked closely with Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian organizations in the weeks following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, prioritizing concerns about potential backlash against these communities.
Internal communications obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation reveal that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division (CRD), led by then–Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, compared the post–Oct. 7 climate to the aftermath of 9/11 and planned outreach meetings with activist groups such as Muslim Advocates, Emgage, and the Sikh Coalition to address hate crimes, visa delays, and alleged profiling.
Critics, including America First Legal President Gene Hamilton, accused the Biden administration of using the DOJ to advance a political agenda rather than focus on protecting the public amid rising antisemitic violence.
The FBI reported that antisemitic hate crimes reached record highs in 2023, far surpassing anti-Muslim incidents. Despite DOJ officials also meeting with Jewish leaders, the emphasis on countering anti-Muslim backlash has drawn scrutiny, with emails referencing “post-9/11 backlash” and former President Trump’s rhetoric. The DOJ has denied politicizing civil rights enforcement and declined to comment on the previous administration’s actions.
Key Points
- DOJ documents show outreach to “MASSA” groups to address fears of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab backlash after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
- Critics claim the Biden DOJ prioritized left-wing activism while antisemitic hate crimes reached historic highs.
- DOJ denies politicization, maintaining it continues longstanding community engagement efforts since 9/11.
EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Worried About ‘Backlash’ Toward Muslims During Wave Of Antisemitic Violence, Docs Show
The Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to address anti-Muslim and anti-Arab biases in tandem with activist groups shortly after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel ignited a wave of antisemitism, newly released documents show.
The Biden-Harris administration’s top law enforcement engaged with “Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian communities,” dubbed “MASSA” groups, in the weeks following the Islamic terrorist attack, according to internal communications obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division (CRD) under former Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke consulted MASSA groups to help counter “backlash” against their communities, comparing it to the aftermath of 9/11.
Former President Joe Biden’s CRD “essentially functioned as an arm of leftist groups,” American First Legal (AFL) President Gene Hamilton, whose organization acquired the documents through public records requests, told the DCNF.
“The Biden Department of Justice was singularly focused on advancing a radical, weaponized agenda instead of protecting the American people,” Hamilton said.
The CRD planned a meeting in November 2023 with groups that included Muslim groups Emgage and Muslim Advocates, as well as the Sikh Coalition and United Sikhs, the records show. The meeting was slated to address problems plaguing “MASSA” communities such as “Hate Crimes Against Arabs And Others In the U.S. in Connection with” the Israel-Hamas war, “Asylum and Visa Delays” and “Profiling and Bias in Policing.” Other listed topics pertained to alleged “doxxing” and “hate” directed at those advocating for Palestinians, especially on college campuses.
Muslim Advocates, the Sikh Coalition, Emgage and United Sikhs did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Clarke and other DOJ officials did meet with “Jewish community leaders” in Washington, D.C., the week of the CRD’s event, according to a DOJ press release. The DOJ has held meetings with Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian, and Hindu groups since the 9/11 attacks, the DOJ said.
Another scheduled November 2023 meeting between DOJ officials was dubbed “Post-9/11 Backlash Huddle,” an email shows.
Reports of antisemitic hate crimes reached an all-time high in 2023, according to the FBI. Anti-Jewish incidents accounted for a majority of hate crimes based on religion in 2023, while anti-Muslim and anti-Sikh cases comprised about 14% of them combined. Anti-Arab hate crimes made up less than half of racially-motivated incidents.
One unnamed “MASSA” group contacted the DOJ about the October 2023 murder of a woman in Conroe, Texas, leading the DOJ to believe it may be a “hate crime,” emails show.
“This is on the FBI’s radar and they are activated,” Clarke said in an email responding to news coverage. Investigators have found no evidence that prejudice motivated the Conroe murder, The Houston Chronicle reported.
A Civil Rights Division official also emailed Clarke on October 16, 2023, claiming Trump’s “rhetoric” about Muslims during the 2016 presidential election cycle “led to an uptick in armed protests outside of mosques around the country, an increase in hate crimes, etc,” the documents show.
The Biden-Harris administration mentioned antisemitism more frequently in the documents AFL obtained before Oct. 7 alongside discussions of white supremacy, which Biden called “the most lethal terrorist threat” to America in 2021.
“This Department of Justice no longer weaponizes federal civil rights laws to advance a political agenda against those with certain religious beliefs,” a DOJ spokesperson told the DCNF. “We have no comment on the actions of the previous administration.”
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