(KANSAS CITY, KS, 8/3/2023) — The Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Kansas) today joined community partners in calling on the Roeland Park
City Council to uphold the principle of free speech and to reject the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.
The Roeland Park City Council will be deliberating on adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism on Monday, August 7 council meeting at 6 p.m.
Antisemitism is generally defined as prejudice against and/or hatred of those who identify as Jewish or are associated with Judaism. The IHRA definition of antisemitism expands antisemitism to also include criticisms of Israel, including Israeli settler colonialism, occupation of the West Bank, its apartheid leveraged against Palestinians, and the ethnic cleansing and Israel, including Israeli settler colonialism, occupation of the West Bank, its apartheid leveraged against Palestinians, and the ethnic cleansing and oppression of the Palestinian people. Numerous human rights groups, including the major Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, have found these to be violations of international human rights law.
SEE: International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance muzzles critics of Israel
In a statement CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy said:
“While we have been steadfast in our opposition to any discrimination against the Jewish people, conflating criticisms of Israel with antisemitism the way the IHRA definition does is wrong and defeats the purpose of fighting against antisemitism. It also silences political debate and muzzles critics of Israel and its far-right racist government. It also delegitimizes the Palestinian movement for self-determination.
“Adopting the IHRA definition in any capacity poses a threat to the residents of Roeland Park’s free speech and stifles political discourse. We are asking that the City Council protect residents’ rights and reject this definition.
“Antisemitism urgently needs to be addressed in our community, but not with controversial definitions that censor the Palestinian narrative and negatively affect human rights advocates. Contentious definitions like the IHRA definition do more to divide us than bring us together. We reject the false choice between standing up against anti-Palestinian racism and antisemitism, and see our struggles as connected.”
He noted that the original drafter of the IHRA definition called it a “working definition” and testified to the U.S. Congress that if government bodies “enshrine this definition into law, outside groups will try and suppress – rather than answer – political speech they don’t like. The academy, Jewish students, and faculty teaching about Jewish issues, will all suffer.”
Washington, D.C., based CAIR has previously called on the Biden administration to stand up to the new Israeli government composed of openly racist and genocidal far-right politicians.
Last year, CAIR welcomed an investigation by a UN commission of inquiry into the Israeli government’s system of apartheid against Palestinians.
In an open letter, five former European ministers labeled Israel’s policies against Palestinians as “the crime of apartheid.” Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Presbyterian Church USA have labeled Israel an apartheid state. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing also recognized that Israel is committing apartheid against Palestinians.
A group of Israeli law professors says changes introduced by the current far-right Israeli government “validate the claim that Israel practices apartheid.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy, melbayoumy@cair.com, 785-318-6323