°®Âþµº

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar introduced a resolution to the US House of Representatives on the first day of Ramadan on Thursday decrying Islamophobia and calling for urgent action.

The text says Congress must "do everything in its power to condemn and eradicate the ideologies that fuel hate crimes" and affirm the rights of religious minorities, in the US and globally, to practice their faiths in peace.

It began by honouring the victims of the 15 March 2019 terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, which saw 51 people total shot dead at two mosques.

Omar said: "As we begin the holy month of Ramadan, we must reaffirm that all people of faith should have the right to worship without fear.

"According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, anti-Muslim hate crimes and attacks are at an all-time high.

"The attack in Christchurch, motivated by an extremist ideology of white supremacy, anti-Muslim hate, and the so-called replacement theory resonates deeply for Muslims in nearly every corner of the globe."

Omar added attacks on churches and synagogues and other racial hate crimes are also increasing.

"That's why I'm proud to lead my colleagues in condemning the rise in Islamophobia and affirming the rights of religious minorities in the United States and around the world," she said.

Her resolution says Islamophobia is an "integral component of the White supremacist 'great replacement' conspiracy theory, which the [Christchurch] shooter embraced".

It calls the theory "Islamophobic, antisemitic, racist, xenophobic, and misogynist", explaining that it "suggests that White people are being intentionally 'replaced' by 'invaders'".

The text was cosponsored by more than two dozen Democratic lawmakers including Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Greg Casar, and Summer Lee – members of a group of progressive politicians known as "The Squad".

The resolution was introduced as Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.