The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said that President Trump’s threat to cut unspecified funding to South Africa likely represents retaliation for the nation’s successful pursuit of genocide charges against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and a favor to white supremacists who oppose any efforts to return stolen farmland in South Africa to the indigenous Black community.
Trumps comments appeared to be in reaction to the new South African law that allows the government to acquire land from private parties if it’s in the public interest.
According to Reuters news agency: “White landowners possess three quarters of South Africa’s freehold farmland, compared with 4% for Black landowners. Black people make up about 80% of South Africa’s total population, while about 8% are white.”
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“If President Trump wants to cut off U.S. funding to a racist foreign government that is actively stealing land from its owners, he should start with the Israeli government and its ongoing campaign of dispossession in the West Bank and Gaza in Palestine, as well as in Lebanon and Syria.
“Targeting South Africa represents obvious retaliation for the genocide charges that nation filed against Israel before the International Court of Justice, as well as a favor to white supremacists who long for the days of apartheid rule in South Africa and oppose any effort to return stolen land to the Black community.”
Last year, CAIR welcomed a detailed submission by South Africa to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) outlining evidence of Israel’s violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention in its war on Gaza.
Also last year, CAIR applauded the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza genocide.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]