Civil rights group calls on Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Special Envoy Deborah Lipstadt to renounce Hagee and condemn extremist chants at rally
(WASHINGTON, DC – 11/15/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned organizers of yesterday’s March for Israel for inviting notorious anti-Muslim bigot and antisemite John Hagee to serve as a speaker, and called on political leaders who shared a stage with him to apologize and renounce his bigotry.
During the March for Israel yesterday on the National Mall organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Pastor John Hagee was one of numerous speakers.
Despite Hagee’s official speaking role, prominent political leaders, including Senator Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Speaker Matt Johnson, and Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt spoke at the same event without renouncing Hagee or hateful messaging that occurred.
During the rally, some members of the crowd held signs reading “Make Gaza Flat Again” and “Many Gaza Civilians are Hamas in Training.” Attendees also attempted to shout down political commentator Van Jones with chants of “No Ceasefire” when he called for an end to the violence against both Israeli Palestinians. Photos from the event also show attendees wearing shirts celebrating the Jewish Defense League, the racist terrorist organization founded decades ago by former Israeli Knesset member Meir Kahane.
According to a report by the Center for American Progress, John Hagee has repeatedly smeared Islam and American Muslims. Hagee has reportedly said:
- “Islam not only condones violence; it commands it.”
- “Radical sects, which include about 200 million Islamics, believe they have a command from God to kill Christians and Jews.”
- “Jihad has come to America. If we lose the war to Islamic fascism, it will change the world as we know it.”
- “They are trained from the breast of their mother to hate us. Radical Islam is a doctrine of death. It is their desire, it is their hope, it is their ambition, it is their highest honor to die in a war against infidels. And you are ‘infidels’ and there is nothing you can do to accommodate them. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”
SEE: Fear, Inc. – The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America
Hagee has reportedly written, “It was Esau’s descendants who produced the half-breed Jews of history who have persecuted and murdered the Jews beyond human comprehension. Adolf Hitler was a distant descendant of Esau.”
He has also said, “There’s a phrase in Scripture used solely to identify the Jewish people. It suggests that this man [the Antichrist] is at least going to be partially Jewish, as was Adolph Hitler, as was Karl Marx.”
Hagee has also reportedly said that “God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land” and asserted that Hurricane Katrina was an “act of God for a society that is becoming Sodom and Gomorrah reborn.”
SEE: He Claimed God Sent Hitler to Create Israel. Now He’s Speaking at the Pro-Israel Rally. What?
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We strongly condemn Pastor John Hagee for his years of Islamophobia and antisemitism, and we also condemn the organizers of the March for Israel who invited him to speak. Hypocrisy does not begin to describe the decision by pro-Israel groups to invite an antisemite to speak at a rally against antisemitism after they spent weeks falsely accusing every pro-Palestine march of being antisemitic.
“We call on Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Senator Chuck Schumer, Special Envoy Lipstadt and every other political leader who shared a stage with John Hagee to apologize and renounce his bigotry. They should also condemn the warmongering chants of ‘No ceasefire,’ the genocidal signs reading ‘Make Gaza Flat Again’ and ‘Many Gaza Civilians Are Hamas in Training,’ and the presence of supporters of Meir Kahane’s terrorist organization.”
“Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism are unacceptable. Period. So is antisemitism, regardless of whether an antisemite like John Hagee supports the Israeli government.”
Yesterday, called on the Biden administration to condemn the now open call for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza by top Israeli officials.
Earlier this week, CAIR welcomed an internal State Department dissent memo accusing President Biden of “spreading misinformation” about Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian people and stating that Israel is committing “war crimes” in Gaza.
Over the weekend, CAIR called on the Biden administration to urgently intervene to stop the Israeli government’s ongoing siege of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
CAIR said the Biden administration shares the blame for the latest Israeli massacre of Palestinian civilians sheltering at a school in Gaza and for its attacks targeting hospitals in Gaza.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR called a threat by the Israeli government to bomb a children’s hospital in Gaza “pure barbarism” and reiterated its call on the Biden administration to demand an immediate ceasefire. CAIR also condemned the shooting of Palestinian woman at a checkpoint by Israeli forces and Israeli airstrikes on South Gaza.
[NOTE: Almost 100,000 Americans have used CAIR’s action alert to contact their members of Congress and call for an end to the violence and the renewal of U.S.-led efforts to end the occupation. SEE: Urge Your Members of Congress to Address Root Cause of Mideast Violence]
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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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, 202-999-8292, 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