Just a few months ago, President Biden gave a tacit greenlight for the UAE’S behavior when he failed to hold Israel accountable for the murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces, much like his predecessor failed to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. If our government continues to allow its so-called allies to get away with crimes against its citizens, they ensure that the world will become a much more dangerous place for Americans and our ideals of freedom.
The UAE will not stop targeting American citizens, especially American Muslims, until our government forcefully speaks up against its abuses. That must happen right now, starting with Asim Ghafoor.
Nihad Awad is the national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Ismail Allison is national communications coordinator for CAIR.