The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today commended Georgia Rep. Ruwa Romman for publicly exposing a racist anti-Palestinian incident involving Anti-Defamation League director Jonathan Greenblatt.
In response to Greenblatt doubling down on a defamatory and debunked attack on Rep. Rashida Tlaib last week, Rep. Romman revealed that when she met Greenblatt in 2017, he immediately turned away from her upon learning of her Palestinian ethnicity.
In a thread published on X on Sep. 27th, 2024, Rep. Romman wrote:
“Seems like now is a good time to reshare this story. In 2017, NCCHR invited me to speak at their gala. I was honored they also invited me to a reception with legends like the late John Lewis, Andrew Young, etc. Jonathan Greenblatt was there too.
“He comes up to me, shakes my hand, and asks where I’m from. I told him I’m Palestinian and before I can introduce my husband he drops my hand and walks off. I didn’t know who he was at the time. I didn’t know his role. I was 24 and still figuring out the world around me.
“But I’ll never forget that moment for as long as I live. It’s not hard recognizing racism when you’ve grown up in the south. You immediately pick up on it. I was used to taunts, stares, and bullying. But, I didn’t expect to experience it around Civil Rights Leaders.
“I share this now, because it’s clear to me that Greenblatt’s hatred of Palestinians trumps everything. Even after he deleted his lies, he still doubled down because he can’t help it. I hope people remember this the next time they allow him to be a decision maker.”
Romman informed CAIR-Georgia about the incident when it occurred in 2017 and shared it publicly for the first time in the wake of Greenblatt’s latest attacks on Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We commend Rep. Romman for bravely sharing her experience with anti-Palestinian racism and ADL director Jonathan Greenblatt. Turning away from Ms. Romman the moment he learned she was a Palestinian-American is simply the latest reported example of Mr. Greenblatt’s long history of manifesting anti-Palestinian racism and other forms of bigotry while pretending to be an ally in the fight against hate.
“We condemn Mr. Greenblatt and the ADL for sharing platforms with ‘pro-Israel’ anti-Semites like John Hagee, smearing Jewish and Palestinian college students as “proxies” of the Iranian government, comparing a gathering of Arab students to Fallujah, obsessively attacking and defaming Palestinian and Muslim figures like Rep. Rashida Tlaib, targeting Black leaders and activists who dare to support Palestinian human rights, and steadfastly defending the Israeli government’s war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon.”
“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish, Black, Palestinian and other American activists standing up to the ADL’s nonsense.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@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