The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to end its “inconsistent silence” about the brutal attack that Israeli settlers and occupation forces perpetrated against Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal. Ballal was awarded an Oscar by the documentary for his documentary No Other Land, which he made with Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham.
Hamdan Ballal was reportedly attacked by Israeli soldiers and settlers outside his home in the West Bank and imprisoned. He was reportedly subjected to torture before being released. His co-director Yuval Abraham criticized the Academy for failing to condemn the attack.
In a statement, CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“It is the height of hypocrisy for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to condemn the arrest of filmmakers by the Iranian government, but now claim it must remain silent when Israeli settlers and armed forces attack an Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker. We call on the Oscars to stand on principle and, with specificity, condemn the violent attack on and kidnapping of Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal.”
The Academy has explained its lack of comment by noting that it represents 11,000 members with unique viewpoints, but the Academy has not hesitated in the past to condemn the arrests of filmmakers in Iran.
SEE: Hamdan Ballal’s ‘No Other Land’ co-directors skewer film academy for silence on attack, detainment
Hamdan Ballal, Oscar-winning director, tells CNN about Israeli detention in West Bank | CNN
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com