Muslim civil rights group urges community to contact council members
(BALTIMORE, MD, 8/1/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is calling on Maryland’s Montgomery County Council to adopt the Jerusalem Declaration’s definition of anti-Semitism for a resolution proposed to define and address anti-Semitism in the county.
Read: The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism
https://jerusalemdeclaration.org
Take Action: CAIR is also calling on community members to send a message to members of the county council urging them to support an alternative resolution that endorses the Jerusalem Declaration’s definition of anti-Semitism.
Click Here: Urge Montgomery County Council to Adopt Alternative Jerusalem Declaration Resolution to Define and Combat Antisemitism
https://action.cair.com/a/adopt-alternative-jerusalem-declaration-resolution
Background:
Last month, the Montgomery County Council postponed until September its vote on a resolution adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s (IHRA) definition and examples of antisemitism. Numerous Jewish, Palestinian and civil rights groups oppose the IHRA definition of antisemitism for its ambiguity and negative implications for free speech and criticism of Israel’s human rights record.
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Maryland County Council’s Shelving of Resolution to Adopt IHRA’s Anti-Free Speech Framework of Antisemitism
County Council to consider resolution defining and condemning antisemitism in September
Drafted by international scholars working in antisemitism studies and related fields, the Jerusalem Declaration defines Anti-semitism as “discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews (or Jewish institutions as Jewish)” while approving of “evidence-based criticism of Israel as a state” and “non-violent forms of political protest against states” like boycotts.
According to the Jerusalem Declaration’s website, the declaration was drafted as an alternative to the “IHRA Definition” because the IHRA definition is “unclear in key respects and widely open to different interpretations, it has caused confusion and generated controversy, hence weakening the fight against antisemitism”
In a statement, CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said:
“We are urging members of the Montgomery County Council to support the adoption of an alternative resolution endorsing the Jerusalem Declaration on Anti-semitism – which condemns antisemitism while protecting free expression.
“It is critical that Montgomery County Council members do not adopt the IHRA definition as government policy as it risks stifling free speech and making it more difficult to combat antisemitism and preserve the right of people to criticize the Israeli government’s policies of apartheid against Palestinians.”
CAIR and other groups previously called on county council members to oppose adopting the IHRA’s definition. That call led to the county’s delayed consideration of the IHRA resolution.
SEE: Jewish Voice for Peace opposes IHRA definition of antisemitism
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2021/02/ihra/
Bend the Arc opposes government use of IHRA definition of antisemitism
https://www.bendthearc.us/bend_the_arc_opposes_government_use_of_ihra_definition_of_antisemitism
IHRA definition of anti-Semitism has been weaponized, warns lead drafter
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, 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 Office in Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062