CAIR: Survey shows Black people feel solidarity with Palestinians, reveals how they feel about Biden amid Israel-Hamas war – The Grio
“The racial discrimination, the racist oppression, the segregation, the apartheid. It all sounds very familiar because there are obvious similarities,” Edward Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told theGrio. “Not to mention the similarities between what Black people in South Africa experienced and what Palestinians in Israel and in the occupied territories experience.”
Mitchell, who is Black and Muslim, said that while he believes any American “with an open heart who learns about Palestine” might sympathize with Palestinians’ plight, Americans who have “experienced something similar” are “even more inclined” to do so. Criticism is aimed at “not only the Israeli government, but our government’s funding.”
CAIR: Israeli Finance Minister Denounced for Calling for ‘Total Annihilation’ of Gaza – Common Dreams
Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), called on President Joe Biden to stop condemning thousands of U.S. college students who have demanded a cease-fire and an end to military aid for Israel and direct his ire toward the Israeli government, which he has repeatedly insisted is targeting Hamas despite its genocidal statements and indiscriminate attacks.
“In case the Israeli government’s genocidal intent in Gaza was unclear to anyone despite its daily war crimes against the Palestinian people, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s words should serve as another wake-up call,” said Hooper. “The intent of the Netanyahu government has always been Palestinian land without Palestinians, and violence has always been the route to achieve that heinous goal. Instead of condemning college students, President Biden must condemn Israeli leaders for making and acting on their genocidal threats.”
CAIR-LA, Partners Address Recent Violence Against UCLA Students, Police Inaction (Video)
CAIR-LA: UCLA Cancels Classes After Violent Clashes Between Protesters and Police – NY Times
Hussam Ayloush, the director of the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, urged Rob Bonta, the state’s attorney general, to investigate what he characterized as a lack of response by the campus police and the Los Angeles Police Department.
“U.C.L.A. and other schools must ensure that students can continue to peacefully protest the genocide in Gaza without facing attacks by violent pro-Israel mobs,” Mr. Ayloush said in a statement.