Muslims in South Carolina Call for Ratification of Hate Crime Bill
A house subcommittee unanimously voted to advance the bill Thursday.
It's called the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act, named after a senator who was killed in the 2015 Charleston shooting at Emanuel AME Church.
Myrtle Beach City Council passed a hate crime resolution earlier this month which urges state lawmakers to pass legislation of their own.
It's even gaining support from the nation's biggest Muslim civil rights organization Council on American-Islamic Relations.
South Carolina and Wyoming are the only states without any hate crime legislation.
On Friday, dozens of members of the Grand Strand Islamic Society prayed, just like they do every week.
"And for them to feel secure and safe to be here, that is good for us. It’s good for the whole community," said Salah Esmat, the treasurer of GSIS.
If state lawmakers pass the hate crime bill, it will provide harsher punishments for violent crimes against someone based on factors like race, sexual orientation and religion.
"It is really about time for this law to be adopted by the state, because it protects the rights of everybody," Esmat said.
Over the past year, the Grand Strand has seen multiple threats to minority groups.
From anti-Semitic flyers being left on driveways and bomb threats during a drag show.
Ibrahim Hooper with CAIR said minority groups need to rally together and raise their voices.
"Whether it's the Jewish community, African Americans, the Sikh community, whatever it is, all minorities need to get together to recognize that we're all in the same boat and we're all being targeted by the same kind of bigotry," Hooper said.
Thomas Duval Guest Jr., a state house representative from Horry County, is backing the bill.
"I feel like it’s certainly something that we need to have on the books and that’s why I signed on to support the bill," Guest said.
The Imam of the mosque, Ibrahim Dremali, said that while the Myrtle Beach has been accepting of the Muslim community for the most part, some female members do face discrimination because of their hijab, this is his message to them.
"Number one, you are American. You are rebuilding this country. You are part of this country.”
The Imam also said he who would like to get the churches and synagogues in the area together so they learn from one another and help the community.
According to the latest data from the Department of Justice, there were 110 hate crimes in South Carolina in 2020.
Source: wpde.com
