Opinion: How Linda Sarsour exploits Pittsburgh synagogue massacre
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Opinion: How Linda Sarsour exploits Pittsburgh synagogue massacre
LInda Sarsour (Shutterstock)
By Steven Emerson, The Algemeiner, Reported by World Israel News, November 1 2018
Expressions of grief, shock, and solidarity came from all corners as a horrified nation learned about a Jew-hating gunman’s attack on a historic Pittsburgh synagogue.
Eleven Jews were killed because they were Jews, gathered for Shabbat services at the Tree of Life synagogue. Four Pittsburgh law enforcement officers were wounded as they raced toward the gunfire and prevented the tragedy from becoming even greater.
But one person’s statements of grief and solidarity stand out, largely because it contrasts a long record of sowing enmity and antisemitism. During a vigil on Sunday outside the White House, Linda Sarsour, microphone in hand, spoke of love and solidarity with American Jews.
“I hope that you commit and you join me and my sisters and brothers who are here today, to resist hate and choose unrelenting love every single time,” she said.
Her organization, MPower Change, issued a similar statement in Sarsour’s name, expressing “solidarity with our Jewish family, especially the community in Pittsburgh, after today’s horrific shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. In the face of overwhelming hate, we choose unrelenting love and unity. We recommit ourselves to dismantling antisemitism and all forms of racism.”
How nice. If she is sincere, however, Sarsour would do well to revisit the years of hatred she has expressed against Israel, the Jewish state, which is a vital safeguard for Jews threatened by antisemitism around the globe. And she won’t have to look back very far.
Just last month, Sarsour spoke at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)’s national convention. She called herself an “unapologetic, pro-BDS, one-state solution supporting resistance supporter.”
By definition then, Sarsour’s ultimate ambition is a world with no Jewish state. BDS has been blasted as antisemitic , including by the Berlin State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, because it seeks to isolate Israel and many BDS leaders advocate Israel’s elimination. And a one-state solution would flood Israel demographically, stripping it of its Jewish majority.
At the same convention, Sarsour blamed the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — the most prominent Jewish advocacy group in America — for the deaths of unarmed black people at the hands of police. Why? Because the ADL runs a program that takes high-ranking police officials to Israel, where they learn about fighting terrorism and other threats. To Sarsour, that means American police officers must “come back here and do what? Stop and frisk, killing unarmed black people across the country.”
You can listen to the whole clip for yourself.
Sarsour also argued at the ISNA convention that Muslims should not defend or “actually try to humanize the oppressor,” which was a reference to Israel.
Sarsour knows that she is seen as an antisemite. She made a video last year that seemed cynically devised to shut down those concerns. But in trying to condemn Jew-hatred, Sarsour couldn’t help but minimize its severity, saying, “It’s different than anti-Black racism or Islamophobia because it’s not systemic.”
During a discussion at New York’s New School a year ago, she blamed “Jewish media” for giving her a bad reputation.
Sarsour famously tweeted , “Nothing is creepier than Zionism,” and rejected offers of solidarity from pro-Israel Jews that are similar to what she claims to offer after the Pittsburgh massacre. Those aren’t views limited to criticism of specific Israeli policies, but a wholesale rejection of a Jewish homeland.
There are about 14.5 million Jews in the world, nearly half — 6.5 million — of whom live in Israel. Another estimated 5.7 million live here in the United States, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For the sake of argument, say only half of those Jews living outside Israel consider themselves Zionists (though the available data indicates the figure is much higher).
But that means that nearly 10 million of the world’s 14.5 million Jews are Zionists. Sarsour, by her own words, is hostile toward about 70 percent of world Jewry. But she’s no antisemite?
She and her Women’s March colleagues have refused to condemn Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, even after he said that “powerful Jews are my enemy,” and recently called Jews “termites.”
Was the slaughter at the Tree of Life synagogue a turning point for Sarsour? It’s a valid question, considering her embrace of Rasmieh Odeh , a woman who was convicted in the 1969 bombing of a Jerusalem grocery store that killed two Israeli students. Odeh’s friend acknowledged her central role in the bombing plot — on camera — and Israeli investigators found similar explosives in Odeh’s bedroom.
Still, Sarsour said that she was “honored and privileged” to be in Odeh’s presence last year — just before Odeh was deported for naturalization fraud.
And all of this doesn’t even address Sarsour’s inability to condemn Hamas or acknowledge that its obsession with destroying Israel makes life for Palestinians in Gaza worse every day.
Sarsour spoke with emotion on Sunday . Her voice cracked at times, and if you didn’t know her, you’d think she was offering a sincere, heartfelt expression of grief, love, and support. The problem is that we do know Sarsour. And we know that our skepticism is more than justified.
Steven Emerson is considered one of the leading authorities on Islamic extremist networks, financing, and operations. He serves as the Executive Director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a non-profit organization that serves one of the world’s largest storehouses of archival data and intelligence on Islamic and Middle Eastern terrorist groups.
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Now that known anti-Semites are attempting to fool the public into thinking they're not antisemitic, I wonder of Farrakhan is going to join into their fraud.
Who knows what's in her heart? If she is expressing sympathy and calling for peace and tolerance, that's a good thing. Hopefully, she will continue to prefer peace and tolerance in the future.
She supports BDS (outlawed in a number of places, and known to delegitimize Israel's existence - its aim is to destroy Israel) and calls Zionism creepy.
If.
That what she says she wants-- and obviously she would never lie...(or would she?)
There are many Arabs who sincerely want peace-- and want to have a Jewish state living side by side in peace with a third Palestinian state (the first two parts of the original British Mandate are now independent and ruled by Arabs-- Jordan and Gaza)-- but IMO she's not one of them!
So many who talk about a one-state solution or are anti-zionist, I think haven't thought it through. I think they haven't put themselves in the shoes of a people who have been persecuted everywhere they have gone and are now surrounded by two dozen countries who would like to wipe them off the face of the earth.
Desiring a Palestinian Solution is not anti-Israel.
And the concept of 'Zionism' in itself places Israel in unneeded risk.
Farrakhan? He is a black nationalist whose only desire is to divide, destroy and profit from it all.
There is nothing wrong with desiring a Palestinian Solution - I don't know anyone who doesn't. Personally, I think the Jordan Option is a good solution. However, her idea of a solution is no different than that of Hamas or Abbas.
Zionism is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as:
What do you mean by an "unneeded risk"? What would you suggest that the Jews do to not experience risk? All of the Jews in Israel move to Antarctica?
I'm sure Farrakhan will not stop being antisemitic no matter what his intentions are.
Farrakan has nothing to do with this-- so he's a racist bigot-- but so are many many others. But Sarsour is another story . . .she good at manipulating public opinion.
The Likudniks don't want it. In fact that's part of the Likud platform - there can be no Palestinian state.
Obviously you have no idea what Zionism is.
I am a strong supporter of Zionism-- but if you knew what we believe you wouldn't be posting "alternative facts"!
(Do you really think Obama is trying to put israel in "unneeded risk"?)
Here's what he said at AIPAC:
The goals of Zionism in its original intent from leaders such as Nathan Birnbaum has been------manipulated-------by factions and leaders during the past few decades that stress Israeli power more than Israeli security.
Nathan Birnbaum? He became anti-Zionist. You may as well have said Noam Chomsky. If their attitude were mainstream, the dictionaries would not have defined Zionism as they do.
Why do they stress Israeli power? Because without Israeli power there would obviously be no Israeli security, and surely it's not necessary to explain why. In my opinion, notwithstanding the assimilation taking place in America, the vast majority of world Jews are Zionists. Even the leader of America's Reform Jewish movement has recently made a statement more in favour of supporting Israel. The last words said at the annual Jewish Passover seder held in most Jewish homes is "Next year in Jerusalem". There is and has been for a long time Israeli encouragement for Jews to make aliyah to Israel and many do, especially when they are under attack as they are in France. Surely anyone who moves to Israel is most likely a Zionist.
Have you been to Israel, bbl-1? I would take more seriously the opinions of someone who has been there.
Spent two weeks at Akko and Haifa in 1974 with my wife ( now deceased ) to visit relatives. It was beautiful. The times were different then. Things have changed.
I stand by my 3.2.1.
Okay, then thank you for your opinion. I've been to Israel more than once and much more recently than you. I experienced terror there - even had to run to a bomb shelter once. For the sake of the Jews in Israel, I'm thankful for the strength and power of those who must defend them.
Must admit. I did a typo. The year was not 1974---------we were there in 1994. My sincere apologies.
We experienced nothing. Quiet and peaceful. But--------in other areas there were issues, violence, protests. Which of course persists to this very day. I am saddened by it. That was my only visit.
No need to apologize. The important thing is you've spent some time there. I tire of hearing the opinions of people who have not.
You have obviously spent more time in Israel than I and perhaps have more contact than I presently do.
However, we both know that within Israel, in the government and in the thoughts of the citizens, there is fair and honest debate as to what is the best path forward for Israel.
I have no answers. All sides have 'legitimate' points of interest. Unfortunately, there are too many bad actors involved. Especially on the Palestinian side of the scale.
Israel and Israelis are not beyond criticism. Although I'm probably the strongest supporter of Israel on NT I've also over the years, both on NV and here, voiced my criticisms of the government, the PM, the judiciary, the IDF, the settlers and for sure the ultra-Orthodox Haradim, all for good cause. However, as I've indicated above, Israel will not survive with a wimpy government and a wimpy PM, so most critics of Israel have no concept of the terrorism it is forced to defend itself from every single day. Antisemitism is world-wide and increasing, and I know why but I'm criticized and slandered for even thinking why, and without Israel, Jews who are being attacked have nowhere to escape to if Israel no longer exists.