Muslim Virginia State Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-Fairfax) introduced Senate Bill 624. It would define “Islamophobia” under the state’s assault laws as a hate crime and force law enforcement to track crimes allegedly motivated by anti-Islam bias. The bill would amend Virginia’s existing assault statute to recognize Islamophobia as “malicious prejudice or hatred directed toward Islam.” It’s a deafening echo of what is happening in Britain concerning Islam and free speech.

Enactment of Blasphemy Laws

It gets worse. Should the bill be enacted, it would ensure that the state police, under orders from the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Diversity, Equity (not kidding), would have to insert the definition of Islamophobia into the state’s hate crime reporting wing.

Islamists claim that the law would assist police in accurately identifying and classifying bias-motivated offenses against Muslims and those perceived to be of the Religion of Peace. What it would really do is silence those who expose or criticize Islam.

Virginia is already far down this path, unfortunately. It has enhanced penalties for assaults committed because of a victim’s race, religious conviction, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin. Muslims are looking to weaponize that in their favor.

Under current Virginia law, assault and battery resulting in bodily injury that is motivated by one of those protected classes could be prosecuted as a Class 6 felony with a mandatory minimum six-month jail sentence. Throw insulting Islam into the mix, and you take a huge leap toward Sharia law.

From the Post Millennial:

While Senate Bill 624 states it would not create a new criminal offense, civil cause of action, or restrict speech protected under the First Amendment or the Virginia Constitution, critics have raised concerns that placing a state mandated definition of Islamophobia into state law could blur the line between first amendment protected criticism of Islam as a religion and violent acts motivated by an anti-Muslim hatred or bias.

That’s exactly what it will do.

Civilizational Conquest Through Lawfare

Reaction on X correctly pegs this as another step in the civilizational conquest for Islam.

Georgia Congressman Clay Fuller tore into it: “Another example is that radical Islam is a true and clear threat to the United States,” he wrote. “We need to call it for what it is.”

Salim is the second Muslim who has been elected to Virginia’s state senate. The other is Ghazala Hashmi, who is now acting as Virginia’s Lt. Governor. The Bangladeshi immigrant, from a country where non-Muslims are routinely being murdered in the streets, introduced the bill to define “Islamophobia.”

This bill has been brewing for months, and arguably the added definition of “Islamophobia” is simply performative and utterly unnecessary other than to intimidate infidels.

Wording Matters

Daniel Greenfield explains this in depth:

The Islamophobia ‘switch’ in SB 624 comes after the ‘bait’ about assaults. First, the bill sets out a definition of ‘Islamophobia’ which transforms a term created by Islamists seeking to impose their religion on society into an official legal term.

Notably, the definition in SB624 states that “Islamophobia means malicious prejudice or hatred directed toward Islam or Muslims.” This distinction is legally significant as ‘prejudice’ towards Islam distinct from prejudice towards Muslims. For example, in the UK burning a Koran has been prosecuted as a form of hate towards Islam. And that opens the door to blasphemy law.

Having malicious prejudice towards Muslims is perfectly sufficient in prosecuting an assault or a case of discrimination. Islam however is a religion and just like any religion or any other belief system, people have the right to be opposed to it as long as they don’t mistreat others.

The use of “Islam or Muslims” embeds the first stage of blasphemy law inside Virginia law.

It’s all about protecting the institution of Islam from blasphemy.

An Elected Islamunist

Salim represents Virginia’s district 37, which includes all of Fairfax City and Falls Church City, and parts of Fairfax County. He has also sponsored a bill that would take guns away from Virginians and another that prohibits law enforcement from working with ICE.

According to Fox News, ”Salim currently serves on several high-profile Virginia studies and commissions, including the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) Blockchain Advisory Committee, Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Retail Cannabis Market, Virginia Child Support Guidelines Review Panel, Electric Vehicle Rebate Program Advisory Council, Information Technology Advisory Council, Virginia Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.”

In the end, all that matters is the furtherance of Islam for Salim. The rest is window dressing.

Blasphemy laws are statutes that criminalize speech or actions that are deemed by theocrats to be insulting to God, religious figures, or sacred doctrines. They are enacted in over 80 countries – primarily Muslim ones. Penalties range from civil fines to imprisonment and, in places like Pakistan, Iran, and Brunei, the death penalty. Human rights groups widely condemn these laws for infringing on freedom of expression, and they are un-American and unconstitutional.