Washington—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement:

“I’m stunned, angry, and heartbroken by the massacre at two mosques in Christchurch, and my thoughts are with the survivors and loved ones of the victims. White nationalism and anti-Muslim hatred are a pernicious scourge that have no place anywhere.

“When Islamophobic rhetoric goes unchecked—or more dangerously, even embraced or normalized—in the public discourse, it’s only a matter of time before violence follows. There is no more horrifying combination than unchecked extremism and deadly firearms. We here in the United States know that pain all too well.

“We must confront this hatred and ensure that the freedom for all to express their cultural, religious, and ethnic identity remains a value underpinning democracies. In the wake of this tragedy, I stand with our friends in New Zealand, particularly the Muslim community in New Zealand.”

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