Post comes amidst surge of unprecedented Islamophobia, anti-Arab hate
(BALTIMORE, Md., 11/27/2023) – The Maryland office of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), today denounced State Delegate Ryan Spiegel’s social media post yesterday today criticizing what he perceived as media drawing equivalencies between Palestinians unjustly imprisoned by Israel and Israeli hostages released to their families over the weekend.
In his post, Delegate Spiegel says in part:
“The [Israeli] hostages are babies and grandmothers, innocent civilians who were ripped from their homes during a murderous raid by terrorists. They committed no crimes, and many of the victims were peace activists. The prisoners being exchanged, on the other hand, are all people who engaged in criminal or terrorist activity and underwent basic forms of due process in a democratic society before being incarcerated for their crimes— the details of which are, in many instances, atrocious.”
Israel is the only country in the world that “automatically and systematically prosecutes children in military courts” that lack due process including the right to a fair trial right and protections. According to sources, Israel prosecutes between 500 and 700 Palestinian children in military courts each year. Children routinely give false confessions under duress and threats of harm to their families or loved ones.
SEE: Defense for Children International – Palestine
https://nwttac.dci-palestine.org/fact_sheet_palestinian_children_in_israeli_military_detention
FACT SHEET: Defense for Children International – Palestine https://assets.nationbuilder.com/dcipalestine/pages/5401/attachments/original/1680540126/Fact_sheet__Palestinian_Children_in_Israeli_Military_Detention_03APRIL2023.pdf
Israel routinely uses administrative detention and has indefinitely imprisoned thousands of Palestinians, including children as young as 6, for periods ranging from several months to several years, without charging them, telling them what they are accused of, or disclosing the alleged evidence to them or to their lawyers if they’re granted one.
SEE: B’Tselem – Israeli Administrative Detention
https://www.btselem.org/administrative_detention
The Palestinian Children and Families Act was reintroduced to the 118th Congress by Rep. Betty McCollum on May 5, 2023. According to DCI-Palestine, this is the fifth piece of legislation introduced by Rep. McCollum that “focuses on Palestinian human rights”, and the fourth that “clearly highlights Palestinian children’s rights and the Israeli military detention and court system.”
When it was announced, Rep. McCollum said in a statement:
“Not $1 of U.S. aid should be used to commit human rights violations, demolish families’ homes, or permanently annex Palestinian lands. The United States provides billions in assistance for Israel’s government each year–and those dollars should go toward Israel’s security, not toward actions that violate international law and cause harm. Peace can only be achieved when everyone’s human rights are respected, and Congress has a responsibility to not ignore the well-documented mistreatment of Palestinian children and families living under Israeli military occupation.”
SEE: McCollum Reintroduces the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act
In a statement, CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said:
“Reputable international human rights groups have investigated and reported that Israel imposes a system of oppression and dominance against Palestinians across all areas under its control both in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, in order to benefit Jewish Israelis, which is apartheid as prohibited by international law.
“Under this system of governance, thousands of children, women and men are held without due process while the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) acts as judge, jury, and executioner. As Muslim and Arab communities grapple with a tsunami of hate bias, including within his own district, its troubling and unacceptable that not only has Delegate Spiegel yet to acknowledge the devastating toll of Israel’s genocide in Gaza which has killed at least 14,000 Palestinians, including 6,000 children, but that he is actively contributing to the dehumanization of Palestinians which fuels hate violence. Lawmakers have an obligation and responsibility to represent the interests, well-being and safety of all of their diverse constituents, including Palestinian-Americans, in order to demonstrate that they are fit to serve in office.”
SEE: Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/
Even a conservative assessment of the reported Gaza casualty figures shows that the rate of death during Israel’s assault has few precedents in this century, experts say.
SEE: Gaza Civilians, Under Israeli Barrage, Are Being Killed at Historic Pace
Since October 7, CAIR has recorded an unprecedented number of hate bias incidents, requests for assistance and complaints reported to its offices.
SEE: CAIR Received 1,283 Complaints Over Past Month, an ‘Unprecedented’ Increase in Complaints of Islamophobia, Anti-Arab Bias
The Maryland office of CAIR reported 114 complaints and incidents between October 9 – November 9 of this year.
SEE: CAIR Maryland Office Announces Sharp Rise in Complaints, Bias Incidents Against Muslims, Arabs Over Past Month
The civil rights group has called for swift, comprehensive action to combat Islamophobia and anti-Arab bigotry, and issued a community advisory encouraging vigilance and basic safety precautions and asking community members to document and report complaints and incidents to police and to CAIR.
Report complaints or hate bias incidents in Maryland.
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 Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, 410-971-6062, zchaudry@cair.com