- Multiple Muslim organizations, who have been tapped by the White House to fight antisemitism and Islamophobia, issued statements over the past few days blaming Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.
- Two members of these groups, Dilawar Syed and Ramzi Kassem, were appointed to positions in the Small Business Administration and as a National Security adviser, respectively.
- “To truly understand what is happening, we must look to the source of the problem; an ongoing occupation in violation of international human rights law that has left the Palestinian people, in particular Gazans, stripped of their basic rights and human dignity,” the Muslim Public Affairs Council wrote in a statement.
Several Muslim organizations that advised President Joe Biden’s administration have released statements over the past several days condemning Israel for the recent terrorist attacks by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
Israel was invaded Saturday by Hamas operatives, who launched rocket attacks and killed, raped and captured Israeli civilians and soldiers, resulting in the death of over 1,200 Israelis with 2,700 more injured, according to CBS News. The Biden administration condemned the attacks and pledged support for Israel, but multiple groups that have worked with the White House released statements placing the blame on the Jewish state, according to press releases and social media posts reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. (RELATED: Biden Goes Radio Silent, Announces Early Lid As War Ravages Israel, Gaza)
The White House hosted a “Listening Session on Islamophobia” in May and invited representatives from Muslim and other religious groups to speak on the issue. One of the participants was the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), which put out a statement on Oct. 7 accusing the Israeli “occupation” of being the “source of the problem.”
“To truly understand what is happening, we must look to the source of the problem; an ongoing occupation in violation of international human rights law that has left the Palestinian people, in particular Gazans, stripped of their basic rights and human dignity,” the press release reads. “By actively, and often violently, preventing their pursuit of a self-defined identity, national autonomy, and global recognition, Israeli occupation and the world’s continued silence has offered Hamas and other groups the political vacuum needed to propel themselves into positions of leadership and justify their violent attacks.”
MPAC further argued that the Jewish state would use Hamas attacks over the weekend to “justify” a “disproportionate” assault on Palestinians, while purposely targeting “civilian areas,” according to the press release. MPAC demanded that the U.S. “end the occupation” and “protect the rights” of Palestinians.
Israeli soldiers remove the bodies of civilians, who were killed days earlier in an attack by Palestinian militants on this kibbutz near the border with Gaza, on October 10, 2023, in Kfar Aza, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
The White House also included MPAC in its “National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism” as part of the “Interagency Group to Counter Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Related Forms of Discrimination and Bias,” according to a May press release. An MPAC spokesperson told the DCNF that it condemns the innocent lives taken by both Israel and Hamas and that the Jewish state’s “occupation of Gaza and the West Bank” must end.
Empowering Engaged Muslim Americans (EMGAGE), another group that attended the listening session, published a statement on the attacks on Oct. 9. EMGAGE initially condemned “all attacks on civilians” but blamed the “root” of the issue on Israel.
“Our common goal is peace and safety for all. To achieve this, we must address the issue at its root and end the occupation that has oppressed millions of Palestinians for decades,” the statement reads. “Palestinians in Gaza have endured Israel’s brutal siege for over 15 years. Israel’s repeated large-scale military attacks on Gaza have taken thousands of Palestinian civilian lives, including hundreds of children.”
The Biden administration appointed Dilawar Syed, a former EMGAGE board member, as the deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration in 2021, according to Politico. The decision was criticized by Jewish Americans who were concerned about his previous ties with EMGAGE, which has been known for taking anti-Israel positions in the past.
The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign (SSC) also commented on the conflict by quoting a portion of a Vox article that claimed the “only solution” was to end the “apartheid” in Israel, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“The only solution, as it has always been, is to bring an end of apartheid, occupation, and siege, and promote a future based on justice and equality for all of us. It is not in spite of the horror that we have to change course — it is exactly because of it,” the article reads.
“The only solution, as it has always been, is to bring an end of apartheid, occupation, and siege, and promote a future based on justice and equality for all of us. It is not in spite of the horror that we have to change course — it is exactly because of it.” https://t.co/NjywQzuAEM
— Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign (@S2Scampaign) October 8, 2023
The group took part in the Biden administration’s 2022 “United We Stand” summit, according to a statement from the White House, and said that they were privileged to help counter “discrimination and hate-fueled violence at all levels of society.” SSC also reposted MPAC’s statement on the Hamas attacks.
Biden appointed Ramzi Kassem, a City University of New York (CUNY) professor and the founder of CUNY’s Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) group, as a senior policy adviser on immigration in 2022. CLEAR claimed that New York protesters were fighting for Palestinian liberation following the Hamas attacks in an X post on Oct. 8.
“New Yorkers have the right to protest for Palestinian rights,” CLEAR wrote. “They did today, they will tomorrow, and they’ll continue on until Palestine is liberated. And we’ll make sure they’re protected.”
New Yorkers have the right to protest for Palestinian rights. They did today, they will tomorrow, and they’ll continue on until Palestine is liberated. And we’ll make sure they’re protected. https://t.co/69xUPXyJKa
— CLEAR Project (@CUNY_CLEAR) October 8, 2023
The protest, led by the New York Democratic Socialists, was held in Times Square and garnered over 700 attendees, some of whom could be heard shouting “Israel go to hell” and “NYC stands with Gaza,” according to The Times of Israel. CLEAR also posted tips for protesters if they are arrested or questioned by law enforcement to “keep your movements safe.”
The White House, Syed, Kassem, EMGAGE, CLEAR and SSC did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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