And elsewhere.

At the state House, former Assembly member turned congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman was there, calling attention to another pressing issue the rise of anti-Muslim hate and new policies from the white House aimed at limiting travel from a number of majority Muslim countries.

Watson Coleman joined forces with the new Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations and others to commemorate this International Day to Combat Islamophobia and make a Call to action.

Senior Correspondent Joanna Gagis reports.

Islamophobia kills.

It is the primary driver of persecution and genocide against Muslim minorities worldwide.

Its effects are devastating.

A group of advocates gathered outside the annex of the state House in Trenton today to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Its official date was Saturday, March 15th, as set by the United Nations in 2022 and by Governor Murphy through a proclamation signed earlier this month.

We are right here in front of the New Jersey state House and where we will be calling on our elected officials to combat the issue of the rising anti-Muslim hate across the nation.

The rise in Islamophobe incidents is at its highest point since 1996, even topping the anti-Islam climate following 9/11, according to a report recently released by CARE-NJ.

The Council on American-Islamic relations that hosted today's event.

CAIR’s executive director Selaedin Maksut gave some examples.

Rutgers New Brunswick Muslim prayer hall was vandalized and trashed on each day.

There was an unprovoked physical assault of a muslim protestor which landed him in the hospital, and he had to receive stitches.

A cafe owner was harassed and threatened, for her public expression and support of the Palestinian cause.

There was physical assault of a muslim woman wearing hijab in Jersey City leaving the Newport Mall.

These were just some of the 8658 complaints reported nationally in 2024, and the 290 reported here in New Jersey in the same year.

They're calling for for specific actions to reduce these bias incidents.

Public officials.

Use this opportunity to speak up and condemn the harm against the American Muslim community and to also, when speaking about foreign issues, use a balanced narrative.

Also, a second recommendation is for the Trump administration to suspend the FBI's use and dissemination of the watch list, which the Biden administration failed to do.

This list is almost entirely a list of Arabic and Muslim names.

And several speakers today urged the legislature not to pass a bill that would adopt the international Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IRA's definition of anti-Semitism.

Do not let Bill.

Eight, three, five, five eight and S12 nine two to go to a vote.

It is a direct attack on our First Amendment rights and we will not stand for it.

The IRA definition offers a very vague definition of anti-Semitism, but the document also includes 11 examples of anti-Semitism, seven of which are about Israel and Zionism, and not at all about Jews.

The IRA definition of anti-Semitism is thus a tool to silence criticism of Israel, not protect Jews.

Everyone in the U.S. has a First Amendment right to free speech, including criticizing the policies of any state.

Also, the US, the Senate version of that bill as 1292 moved out of committee, although the Assembly version hasn't had a hearing yet.

A coalition of Jewish and Muslim scholars have put together an alternative definition.

Our document recognizes that the fight against Islamophobia is intertwined with a fight against anti-Semitism.

The most pervasive form of Islamophobe occurs on American college campuses, where in Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, South Asian students are denied the equal right to exercise their free speech rights.

They are punished for partaking in a proud American tradition, one that distinguishes our democracy from authoritarian states.

The right to nonviolent protest, to dissent against government policies.

They're also calling for the legislature to hold hearings on the rise of Islamophobia on college campuses across the state.

In Trenton, I'm Joanna Gagis, NJ Spotlight News.