“I know that many Americans are wondering: Are they in danger simply because of the way they look? Or the way they pray?” Lynch said during an interfaith gathering at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center in Sterling, Va. “I know that some are also wondering if the progress that we have made, at such a great cost, and over so many years, is in danger of sliding backwards.”

During her 30-minute speech, Lynch oscillated between praise for what the Justice Department and Americans in general have accomplished in civil rights, and an acknowledgment of the “anxiety” and the hate crimes that “stain our nation’s very soul.”

Muslims and other minority groups have voiced increasing concerns in recent weeks about their safety and legal rights under the future administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Trump said that he plans to implement a ban on Muslims entering the United States or require those already in the country to register in a database.

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