The Georgia chapter and national headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned former Biden administration antisemitism czar Deborah Lipstadt for baselessly denying verified reports of the sexual abuse of Palestinians held in Israeli detention facilities and retweeting a post implicitly call for the execution of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.
In a statement, CAIR and CAIR-Georgia also called for Emory University, which has repeatedly investigated, punished and terminated members of its community for their Palestinian activism, to reevaluate its relationship with Lipstadt, who has served as a professor there.
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We strongly condemn former antisemitism czar Deborah Lipstadt for denying credible, verified reports of systemic rape in Israeli prisons and echoing an implicit call for the execution of The New York Times journalist who dared to report on those crimes.
“Ambassador Lipstadt’s descent into the fringes of anti-Palestinian hate and pro-Israel extremism in recent years has been disturbing to watch. Survivors of sexual abuse deserve to be heard and protected regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, or religion. Human rights violations cannot be ignored simply because the victims are Palestinian.
“Deborah Lipstadt should play no role in any future presidential administration, and Emory University—which has targeted students for their anti-genocide advocacy—should reevaluate its relationship with her.”
SEE: The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians – New York Times
Yesterday, CAIR called on Congress and the Trump administration to take immediate action after a New York Times report detailed horrifying allegations of widespread sexual abuse, rape, torture, and humiliation of Palestinians held in Israeli detention facilities.
TAKE ACTION NOW: Demand Congress and the Trump Administration Act on Reports of Sexual Abuse and Torture of Palestinian Detainees
Late last year, CAIR called for the United States to impose sanctions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other members of the Israeli government responsible for the apartheid state’s prisons after a Palestinian journalist and others kidnapped by Israel recounted details of sexual assaults, including the use of various objects and dogs to sodomize them.
SEE: CAIR Condemns Israeli Prison’s Use of Dogs, Objects to Rape Palestinians
Also last year, CAIR said a report by UN experts exposing genocidal acts and sexual violence by the Israeli government in Gaza should be a “wakeup call for the international community.”
CAIR has repeatedly called for U.S and international action to stop Israel’s torture and abuse of Palestinian prisoners.
END
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