After Chelsea Bombing, NYC Launches Efforts To Silence ‘Negative Rhetoric’ About Islam

After Chelsea Bombing, NYC Launches Efforts To Silence ‘Negative Rhetoric’ About Islam

Less than two weeks after the terrorist bombings in New Jersey and New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration is launching a new campaign against the “negative rhetoric targeting Muslim communities” that the city says gets worse after “terrorist incidents.”  

A press release from the city on Monday explained the reasoning for the new anti-anti-Islam efforts: “Across the country, hateful speech has made Muslim residents the target of misguided attacks and threats, especially in the aftermath of terrorist incidents,” states a press release from the city. 

The city is targeting Muslims for community outreach efforts, “including issuing a new multilingual fact sheet explaining protections against religious discrimination with a focus on Muslim communities and a new multilingual brochure on religious protections under NYC Human Rights Law with practical examples to identify discrimination in the workplace, housing, and public accommodations.” 

On Monday, the city launched a new digital ad campaign that features pictures of Muslims with captions that read, “I am Muslim. I am NYC.” The ads continue in smaller print: “New Yorkers of all faiths deserve to live safely and free from discrimination. In NYC, it’s illegal to discriminate against or harass someone based on their religion or creed. #IAmMuslimNYC”