Category: Islamaphobia

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Rep. Scott Perry alleged that Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim, is affiliated with terrorist groups during House debate on her bill to combat Islamophobia

In this Oct. 8, 2019 file photo, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. from Pennsylvania's 10th U.S. Congressional District, appears before reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Perry is running for re-election in 2020.
In this Oct. 8, 2019 file photo, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. from Pennsylvania’s 10th U.S. Congressional District, appears before reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Perry is running for re-election in 2020.

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File

  • Ilhan Omar wrote a bill that would create a special envoy to internationally combat Islamophobia.
  • During the debate, Scott Perry alleged Omar is antisemitic and affiliated with terrorist groups.
  • The House parliamentarian found that Scott Perry’s remarks about Omar were inappropriate.

During a debate on a bill to internationally combat Islamaphobia, the House parliamentarian found that Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., made inappropriate remarks that were “not in order” with the House Rules and Manual when he alleged that Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and the bill’s author, is antisemitic and affiliated with a terrorist organization.

 

“We all agree that nobody should be persecuted based on their faith. We all agree on that. But American taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay terrorist organizations, organizations that the maker of this bill is affiliated with like the one that’s an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror finance case in the United State of America’s history,” Perry said.

Perry and several others who spoke in opposition of the bill, which seeks to establish an Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia within the State Department, cited a lack of definition for Islamophobia in the bill, which he argued would be “made up” based on individuals’ “political proclivities.”

“By intentionally leaving the definition of Islamophobia blank in this bill, the gentlelady and my friends on the other side of the aisle are creating an office in our State Department that will likely spew antisemitic hatred and attack Western ideas throughout the world under the farce of protecting Islam,” Perry said. “As you can see by this debate, the goal is to silence dissent and critiques of terrorism.”

Last week, Perry said that he was “assailed” by Democrats during the bill’s markup in the House Foreign Affairs Committee who called him “Islamophobic, nasty, mean, and rude.” He claimed that they criticized him for offering amendments that would prevent American tax dollars from going to organizations with ties to terrorism.

Both Perry and Omar are members of the committee. 

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Rep. Lauren Boebert ‘knows’ using Islamophobic language ‘is going to incite violence against myself and my community,’ Rep. Ilhan Omar says

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks to reporters in the wake of anti-Islamic comments made last week by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who likened Omar to a bomb-carrying terrorist, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks to reporters in the wake of anti-Islamic comments made last week by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who likened Omar to a bomb-carrying terrorist, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

On Sunday, US Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., told CNN “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper that she has received “too many [death threats] to count” after US Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., told a story implying that she is a terrorist.

“There’s a general fear that I have, my staff has, and the community at large has,” Omar told Tapper. “We constantly hear from so many people across the country where their children’s hijabs have been pulled off. My own daughters have experience this. I have experienced this as a young person in this country.”

A video of Boebert speaking at a campaign event began circulating on social media on November 25 and showed her recounting a supposed run-in with Omar at the US Capitol. Boebert said that as she and a staffer stepped into an elevator with Omar, a Capitol Police officer ran toward the elevator with “fret all over his face.”

“Well, she doesn’t have a backpack. We should be fine,” Boebert said she told the officer. She then turned to Omar and added, “Oh look, the Jihad Squad decided to show up for work today.”

A day later, Boebert apologized to anyone in the Muslim community that she offended with her comments and said she reached out to speak with Omar.

Still, Omar said Boebert’s apology was insincere and called on House leadership to take “appropriate action” against Boebert for her Islamaphobic comments, to which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., responded that people should “never apologize to Islamic terrorist sympathizers, communists, or those who fund murder with our tax dollars.”

On Wednesday, a second video surfaced of Boebert suggesting at a September campaign fundraiser that Omar was a suicide bomber, as well as “black-hearted” and “evil.”

While House Democrats have called for Boebert to be stripped of her committee assignments, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy signaled on Friday that House Republicans would not take action against her. Omar called McCarthy a “liar and a coward” in her interview with Tapper, calling Boebert’s comments “shocking” and “unbecoming of a congresswoman.”

“We have a responsibility as leaders. Words matter, and words can cause violence. [Boebert] knows that the language that she’s using, the audience that she’s using it for, is going to incite violence against myself and my community,” Omar said.

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Antisemitic hate crimes grew in the US and Europe over the past few weeks amid tensions in Palestine and Israel

Pro Palestinian and pro Israeli protesters face off in a violent clash in Times Square on May 20, 2021 in New York City.
Pro Palestinian and pro Israeli protesters face off in a violent clash in Times Square on May 20, 2021 in New York City.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

  • 193 antisemitic attacks were reported to the ADL in the week after Israeli-Hamas tensions started.
  • Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire starting on Friday after 11 days of fighting.
  • The attacks left more than 200 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead.
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Hate crimes against Jews in several US cities, as well as Europe, have surged in the past couple of weeks amid clashes in Gaza and Israel.

“As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate. We are tracking acts of harassment, vandalism and violence as well as a torrent of online abuse. It’s happening around the world- from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like NYC and in small towns, and across every social media platform,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said in a statement.

At least 232 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,900 were wounded in Gaza during the 11 days of conflict, which ended on Friday after a ceasefire. Around 72,000 people, mainly in Gaza, were displaced.

12 Israelis were also killed.

The ADL, which tracks antisemitic incidents, said in the week after the fighting in Israel and Palestine began they received 193 reports, an increase from the 131 reports they received the week prior.

Police in New York City and Los Angeles are investigating antisemitic assaults.

The Los Angeles Police Department said they’re investigating an incident where two cars attempted to chase down a Jewish man on Monday in the Fairfax District of the city. People in the car were waving Palestinian flags, video of the incident showed.

The man escaped and was uninjured.

In another incident the following day, police said a string of cars waving Palestinian flags drove through the district, which is considered a Jewish hub, and stopped in front of a restaurant. Drivers harassed diners and fights ensued. Several people were injured.

In New York City, police arrested 23-year-old Waseem Awawdeh and are searching for several more suspects in the beating of a 29-year-old Jewish man in Times Square on Thursday during pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrations.

The victim was released from a local hospital after being treated for minor injuries.

In a letter to President Joe Biden, the ADL reported that antisemitic rhetoric and attacks have been on the rise in person and online.

The organizations said that between May 7 and May 14, more than 17,000 tweets could be found that used variations of the phrase, “Hitler was right.”

The ADL found incidents of antisemitism across the globe, from a Jewish community center that was vandalized with graffiti that read “We are going to kill you” and “Jewish rats” alongside a Star of David in Argentina, to protesters hurling rocks and shouting slurs at pro-Israel demonstrators in Montreal, Canada.

In the UK, The Community Security Trust said antisemitic incidents were up fivefold since the fighting in Israel and Palestine began.

The group recorded 116 incidents between May 8 and May 19, up from 19 incidents in the 11 days prior.

The ADL reported that antisemitism has been on the rise in the US for a few years, with 327 incidents reported in 2020, a 40% rise from 2019, where 234 incidents were reported.

The recent tensions in Israel and Palestine have also resulted in a rise in Islamophobic attacks. While there isn’t comprehensive data, several mosques have reported vandalism in recent weeks, NBC reported.

On May 13, Police in New York City found “hate graffiti” spray painted on the door of the Tayba Islamic Center in Brooklyn. NBC reported that congregates celebrating Eid, which marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan, found reportedly found “Death to Palestine,” painted on the door.

Another mosque in Long Island was also found vandalized and had a sacred flag burned, NBC reported.

Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, called the attacks on Jews and Muslims in the US “despicable.

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