Government & Politics

Confusion over CAIR’s role in planned Biden meeting with Muslim leaders in Chicago The White House claims no one from CAIR was invited, but the group organized a letter claiming otherwise

(Jewish Insider) The White House was snubbed this week by the Muslim community in Chicago after Biden administration officials sought a meeting with Muslim, Arab and Palestinian American leaders. At least, that’s what several Muslim advocacy groups said on Thursday. More than […]

Government & Politics

Summer Lee cancels appearance at CAIR banquet featuring antisemitic speakers Her decision comes after leading Democrats in the state, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, criticized the event

(Jewish Insider) Amid fierce backlash, Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) announced on Tuesday that she had canceled her planned appearance this weekend at a fundraising banquet for a leading Muslim advocacy group featuring several speakers who have espoused antisemitic and homophobic views. “I […]

Government & Politics

McCormick calls on Lee to resign over scheduled appearance at CAIR gala featuring antisemitic speakers Sen. Bob Casey criticized CAIR in a statement, but declined to speak out against Lee’s appearance at the event

(Jewish Insider) Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick called on Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) to resign from Congress after she scheduled an appearance at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) gala featuring a lineup of antisemitic speakers, including one who praised Hamas’ Oct. […]

Clerics & Preachers

Rep. Summer Lee headlines CAIR fundraising banquet, alongside speakers with antisemitic history One scheduled speaker rejoiced over the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre hours after it occurred

(Jewish Insider) Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) is scheduled to give remarks at a fundraising banquet for a leading Muslim advocacy group on Saturday alongside several speakers who have made antisemitic and homophobic comments. The freshman Squad member, a vocal critic of Israel […]

Government & Politics

Jewish leaders slam White House for meeting with activist who defended Hamas, Hezbollah Several Biden administration senior officials traveled to Michigan to meet with Muslim leaders, including controversial Dearborn activist Osama Siblani

(Jewish Insider) A Thursday meeting between several senior Biden administration officials and Muslim leaders in Michigan drew scrutiny from leaders in the Jewish community over the inclusion of Osama Siblani, a Dearborn political activist and newspaper publisher who has in the past […]

Government & Politics

Bipartisan group of House lawmakers presses administration on pro-Palestinian charities in the U.S. The lawmakers requested information from the administration about allegations that U.S.-based charities are funding Hamas and other terrorist groups

(Jewish Insider) A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee wrote to the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation last week requesting information on alleged links between Hamas and U.S.-based tax-exempt charities that they […]

Crime

Baltimore lawmaker seeks to remove CAIR from Md. hate crimes commission Law creating the commission explicitly guaranteed CAIR, whose executive director praised the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, representation on the civil rights panel

(Jewish Insider) A legislative effort is underway in Maryland to remove the Council on American-Islamic Relations from a state hate crimes body after the organization’s Maryland director published a series of antisemitic Facebook posts after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, […]

Government & Politics

Lawmakers criticize Associated Press for declining to classify Hamas as a terrorist group Guidance from the news service’s influential style guide urges against utilizing the terms ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’ to describe Hamas and its Oct. 7 attack on Israel

(Jewish Insider) A bipartisan group of House lawmakers sent a letter on Friday criticizing the Associated Press and its style guide for guidance that advises against using the terms “terrorist” and “terrorism” to describe Hamas and its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. […]

Government & Politics

Rep. Jahana Hayes met with Connecticut CAIR chapter earlier this month Other Democrats have distanced themselves from CAIR after its executive director praised the Oct. 7 Hamas attack

(Jewish Insider) Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) met with affiliates of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) Connecticut chapter in early December, according to a Facebook post from the group. CAIR has come under recent scrutiny over its supportive rhetoric regarding Hamas’ Oct. […]

Government & Politics

White House distances itself from CAIR, condemns director’s ‘antisemitic statements’ The White House scrubbed a mention of CAIR from an antisemitism fact sheet and pledged that the group has no involvement in efforts to draft a national Islamophobia strategy

(Jewish Insider) The White House on Thursday distanced itself from the Council on American-Islamic Relations after the leader of the Muslim advocacy organization gave a speech celebrating the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel. “We condemn these shocking, antisemitic statements in […]

Crime

Maryland hate crimes commission member under fire for pro-Hamas posts Zainab Chaudry, the Maryland director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, took to Facebook to call Hamas terrorists ‘freedom fighters’ and compare Israel to Nazi Germany

(Jewish Insider) When Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced the inaugural members of the state’s Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention in August, he said Maryland residents “deserve a safe and inclusive state” and pledged to develop strategies to address hate […]

Government & Politics

For Ilhan Omar, not all foreign influence spending is bad New financial disclosure reveals Qatar paid for the outspoken Minnesota congresswoman’s trip to watch the World Cup

(Jewish Insider) During her time in Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has frequently voiced concern over the influence of foreign interests on American politics — most controversially with regard to the pro-Israel community in the U.S. But when she visited Qatar last […]

Government & Politics

Jewish groups question CAIR’s inclusion in WH antisemitism fact sheet 'They were listed in a supplemental document as one of the many independent organizations making commitments,' said a source with direct knowledge of the drafting of the strategy

(Jewish Insider) Several Jewish organizations on Tuesday questioned the White House’s decision to reference the Council on American-Islamic Relations in a fact sheet released last week alongside the U.S. national strategy to counter antisemitism. “We don’t agree with every decision the White […]

Context

Bernie Sanders hosts Rashida Tlaib’s ‘Nakba Day’ after Kevin McCarthy canceled it The anti-Israel event, which was canceled by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, was relocated to the Senate side of the Capitol

(Jewish Insider) After being canceled by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), a “Nakba Day” event organized on Wednesday by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was moved to the Senate side of the Capitol complex, to the hearing room of the Senate Health, Education, […]

Crime

Defendant pleads guilty to brazen antisemitic attack that drew outcry from NYC Jewish community Waseem Awawdeh will be sentenced to 12 months in jail for attempted assault in the second degree as a hate crime and six months for criminal possession in the fourth degree

(Jewish Insider) Waseem Awawdeh, one of five defendants charged with targeting a Jewish man in a brazen antisemitic attack that drew an outcry from New York City’s Jewish community, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon, […]

Academics & Education

McKinsey says it canceled sponsorship of Arab Conference at Harvard The consulting giant was a major corporate sponsor of the weekend gathering before learning of the antisemitic views of one of the speakers

(Jewish Insider) The consulting giant McKinsey & Company announced on Monday that it “stepped away” from last weekend’s Arab Conference at Harvard after learning of antisemitic views of one of its speakers. The firm’s statement followed a Jewish Insider report from the […]

Legal

Federal judge rejects American Muslims for Palestine motion to dismiss decades-old terror-financing case The family of teenager David Boim is seeking to collect $156 million from groups alleged to have provided funding to Hamas

(Jewish Insider) A federal judge in Illinois rejected a motion for dismissal by defendants in a decades-old legal fight waged by the family of a slain Jewish teenager, whose parents allege that the defendants had, under other identities, provided funding to Hamas, […]

Government & Politics

Hosting Linda Sarsour, Engel challenger rails against congressman’s ‘uncritical’ support of Israel 'One is bad and one is outrageous,' Sarsour says of presidential candidates

(Jewish Insider) New York congressional candidate Andom Ghebreghiorgis hosted Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour on Wednesday evening for a digital town hall discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential platform. Details: Ghebreghiorgis, a 33-year-old activist from Mount Vernon, […]