Today 60 American Muslim, Palestinian, Arab and allied organizations strongly condemn ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt for hateful, dangerous attacks he has launched on the Palestinian-American community and supporters of Palestinians human rights during recent appearances on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, as well as the ADL’s pattern of targeting diverse communities.
During an appearance on April 25th, Mr. Greenblatt falsely claimed that Jewish and Palestinian students and organizations protesting against the genocide in Gaza are literal proxies of the Iranian government equivalent to Hezbollah.
This blatant lie was not only defamatory, but dangerous. Accusing a Jewish American nonprofit organization and a Palestinian student organization of being terrorist groups places a target on their backs at a time of rising hate.
To make matters worse, none of the Morning Joe hosts or other guests challenged Mr. Greenblatt’s false claim on the air. Since then, no one from the targeted Jewish and Palestinian groups have appeared on air to respond, and MSNBC has not corrected the record or apologized for platforming such defamatory remarks.
This is not an isolated incident. On March 29th, Mr. Greenblatt made extremely controversial remarks in which he implicitly analogized the Palestinian keffiyeh to the Nazi swastika. Drawing any comparison whatsoever between the Palestinian keffiyeh and the Nazi swastika is never justifiable, totally unacceptable, and incredibly dangerous.
Again and again, Mr. Greenblatt has refused to personally apologize, walk back, or clarify his hateful remarks—and the ADL’s belated attempt to explain his keffiyeh comment away was completely insufficient. Mr. Greenblatt’s reckless words threaten the safety of Palestinian-Americans, as well as many others who stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Hate crimes and acts of discrimination against Palestinian-Americans have risen dramatically in recent months. The rhetoric that Mr. Greenblatt and other extreme supporters of the Israeli government have used to smear Palestinian human rights advocates has contributed to this ongoing surge in hate.
Sadly, this is part of a pattern for the ADL. For far too long, the organization has launched dishonest attacks on Black Americans, Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, Jewish Americans, and others who stand up for the rights of the Palestinian people.
The ADL has also platformed anti-Muslim hate speakers like Pastor John Hagee, shared the same stage as anti-Palestinian racists, dehumanized Palestinians by justifying the Israeli government’s attacks on civilians in Gaza, questioned the Palestinian death toll, pressured colleges and other institutions to silence students who peacefully advocate for Palestinian freedom, and downplayed hate crimes against Palestinian-Americans. The ADL did not even initially acknowledge the Palestinian identity of six-year-old hate crime victim Wadea Al-Fayoume.
This pattern of behavior must end.
The ADL should terminate Mr. Greenblatt, apologize for its history of bad-faith attacks on various communities, and stop attempting to defame, silence and endanger those who express support for Palestinian human rights.
Until then, the ADL is no ally in the fight against hate. No media outlet should give Jonathan Greenblatt a platform to slander and endanger Americans advocating justice for all.
National Organizations
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
American Center for Justice American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA)
American Muslims for Palestine
ANSWER Coalition – Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
Arab American Civic Council
Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL)
CAIR Action 501(c)4
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Emgage Action
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC)
Islamic Association of North America (IANA)
Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Islamophobia Studies Center
Libyan American Alliance
The Mosque Foundation
MSA National
Muslim Advocates
Muslim American Society (MAS)
Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC)
Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
North American Imams Fellow
Palestinian American Community Center
Palestine Legal
Project South
QUIT!
Tunisian United Network
U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations
Voices for Justice in Palestine
World Forum for Peace & Justice
World Kashmir Awareness Forum
State and Regional Organizations
Ahlulbayt Society of Columbus
API Equality-LA
Arizona Muslim Alliance
Charlotte Muslim Caucus
Evergreen Islamic Center
Husaynia Islamic Society of Seattle
ICNA Council for Social Justice SF Bay Area
Islamic Center of Charlotte
Islamic Center of Conejo Valley
Islamic Center of Boca Raton
Islamic Center of Detroit
Islamic Center of San Diego
Islamic Society of Sheboygan, WI
Islamic Center of Tri-Cities
Islamic Society of West Valley
Islamic Center of Wheaton – ICW
Majlis Ash-Shura: Islamic Leadership Council of New York
MAS Maryland
Muslim American Public Affairs Council (MAPAC)
Muslims On Long Island
Northern California Islamic Council
Prince George’s County Muslim Council
Rahma Community Center
Rightly Guided Physicians
SABA, Inc
SABA Islamic Center, San Jose, CA
Shura Council of Southern California
South Dakota Voices for Peace
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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