A Bengali-American state senator from Virginia has introduced a bill that would define Islamophobia as a form of hate crime when linked to assault and battery. The legislation specifies that Islamophobia includes malicious prejudice or hatred directed toward Islam or Muslims, even if the targeted individual is not actually a practitioner but is perceived as such. The bill also clarifies that religious conviction protections include Islam and directs state agencies to incorporate this definition into hate crime reporting. The senator represents a district covering parts of Fairfax and serves on several prominent state commissions.