Muslim groups across the country are calling on President Joe Biden’s administration to name a special envoy to monitor and combat Islamophobia, which a U.N. expert says has escalated to “epidemic proportions.”

In the letter, the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations told Biden a special envoy to monitor and combat Islamophobia at the State Department could help address the issue that affects the third largest religious group in the country. The envoy could support efforts both in the United States and internationally against anti-Muslim hate crimes and where Muslims are denied constitutional rights.

The White House did not respond to questions about whether the administration will appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia. But Biden condemned violence against Muslim Americans in a statement last week marking the beginning of Ramadan.

Biden repealed a 2017 executive order by former President Donald Trump that prevented foreign nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. He also hosted a meeting with more than 20 leading Muslim organizations, and his administration declared China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims a genocide.

Source: USA Today