(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/7/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, issued a message today, urging all members of the House of Representatives to “VOTE YES” to censure Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) for his racist remarks equating Palestinian civilians with Nazis. CAIR also encourages all members to “‘VOTE NO’ on the latest pair of censure resolutions unjustly targeting Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to advance a resolution by Representative Rich McCormick (R-GA) to censure Rep. Tlaib. This resolution is slated for a final passage vote on Wednesday. Notably, Islamophobic Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced a similar censure resolution, but it failed to pass. These resolutions stem from false accusations surrounding Representative Tlaib’s support for Palestinian human rights and her call for a ceasefire in response to Israel’s indiscriminate killing of more than 10,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including over 4,800 children.
SEE: Tlaib Faces Censure Resolutions Over Israel Comments
SEE: Tlaib Statement on Censure Resolutions
Instead, CAIR today called on the House of Representatives to unite in support of Representative Sara Jacobs’ (D-CA) censure resolution against Rep. Mast for his recent racist and deeply troubling anti-Palestinian comments.
Last week, Rep. Mast made the following statement: “I would encourage the other side not to so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians […] I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians.'”
CAIR responded on Friday by condemning Mast’s statement for wrongly comparing innocent Palestinian men, women, and children to Nazis and called for his resignation. Such remarks effectively endorse or incite violence against Palestinians in Gaza and pose a threat to the safety of Muslims and Arabs in the United States.
Read CAIR’s Full Message Sent Today to All U.S. House Offices:
Today, we urge all members of the House of Representatives to “VOTE YES” to censure Representative Brian Mast for his abhorrent and racist remarks equating Palestinian civilians with Nazis. We also encourage all House members to “VOTE NO” on the latest pair of censure resolutions unjustly targeting Representative Rashida Tlaib.
Rather than smearing Congresswoman Tlaib, the U.S. House of Representatives should unite in support of Representative Sara Jacobs’ censure resolution against Representative Mast for his recent racist and deeply troubling anti-Palestinian comments. Just last week, Rep. Mast made the following statement: “I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians […] I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians.'” Rep. Mast’s statement is deplorable, as it unfairly compares innocent Palestinian men, women, and children to Nazis. Such remarks effectively endorse or incite violence against Palestinians in Gaza and pose a threat to the safety of Muslims and Arabs in the United States. It is imperative for Congress to censure Rep. Mast for these disgraceful comments.
Separate resolutions, sponsored by Representatives Rich McCormick and Marjorie Taylor Greene, are based on false accusations and lack the necessary merit to warrant censure. It is crucial for all House Representatives to uphold the principles of fairness, honesty, and integrity within our democracy.
The American Muslim community wholeheartedly stands with Representative Tlaib in her call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza crisis. The Israeli military’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza has killed more than 10,000 Palestinian civilians, including 4,800 children. It is essential that we demand an immediate ceasefire and stop funding Israel’s military during this humanitarian crisis, which amounts to nothing short of murder.
Representative Tlaib has consistently denounced the killing of all civilians, including Israeli civilians killed by Hamas and Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli government. Her stance reflects the moral obligation to protect innocent lives and should be supported by all members of Congress.
As a nation we should focus our efforts on condemning actions taken by the Israeli government in Gaza, which involve a campaign of collective punishment aimed at displacing the Palestinian population. Statements from American politicians that fail to address these actions only serve to embolden Israel’s ongoing military targeting of hospitals, churches, mosques, refugee camps, and schools.
Lastly, we encourage members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support Representative Cori Bush’s Ceasefire Now Resolution to help end the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza.
We appreciate your attention to these important matters and hope that you will consider our request to “VOTE NO” against the in-bad faith censure resolutions targeting Representative Tlaib. It is in the best interest of our democratic values, peace, and justice that we stand together on these crucial issues.
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, 202-742-6448, 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