Federal Government Watch -
Biden Elevating Islam at the Expense of Christians and Jews
by Clare M. Lopez
June 2023
The first set of pieces linked here this month all address the Biden Administration’s newly unveiled “National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism”. The plan includes steps to raise awareness of antisemitism and produce annual threat assessments about antisemitism by the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center. Unfortunately, though, the Biden strategy fails to include the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism—or any other, making enforcement impossible. This is the IHRA definition of antisemitism:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Further, the plan fails to condemn the “Boycott, Divest, Sanction” movement that claims boycotting goods made in Judea/Samaria or Israel is not antisemitic. Brief mention is made of rampant antisemitism on American university campuses but does not address where that Jew-hatred comes from, which is often black activists, the Left, and Muslim Brotherhood instigation from groups like the Muslim Student Association (MSA). Finally, and perhaps worst of all, the Biden plan included among its partner groups the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the U.S. branch of HAMAS, the Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood that is listed on the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations list.
Next, there was the 2 May 2023 “listening session” at the White House for a klatch of HAMAS-and-Muslim-Brotherhood-linked front groups that included CAIR, ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), and MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council)…the first two of which were listed by the Department of Justice as Unindicted Co-Conspirators in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terror funding trial.
Rashad Hussain is the Biden Administration’s U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and formerly served as the Obama Administration’s Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The U.S. State Department released its new report on International Religious Freedom on 15 May 2023. While the report documents human rights abuses in Islamic societies including for apostasy and blasphemy and calls out the Taliban for robbing women and girls of access to education and other services “in the name of religion”, he pointedly avoids specifying that such violations of human rights and religious expression are in fact encoded in Islamic doctrine and law. In this, he, like his predecessor Amb. Sam Brownback, misuses his position to advance Islam and an “Islamophobia” narrative.
A 27 April 2023 report issued by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has been criticized by advocates for persecuted Christians in Nigeria for painting the Muslim Fulani ethnic group there as persecuted victims, when in fact, it is Christians who overwhelmingly are those being slaughtered by Islamic jihadis.
And finally, there was the commemoration of the antisemitic “Nakba” event in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing room on 10 May 2023. After House Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked the use of the Capitol Visitors Center auditorium, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), with the approval of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), stepped in to offer the hearing room of the Senate committee that he chairs to the viciously antisemitic Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Biden Elevating Islam at the Expense of Christians and Jews
by Clare M. Lopez
June 2023
The first set of pieces linked here this month all address the Biden Administration’s newly unveiled “National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism”. The plan includes steps to raise awareness of antisemitism and produce annual threat assessments about antisemitism by the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center. Unfortunately, though, the Biden strategy fails to include the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism—or any other, making enforcement impossible. This is the IHRA definition of antisemitism:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Further, the plan fails to condemn the “Boycott, Divest, Sanction” movement that claims boycotting goods made in Judea/Samaria or Israel is not antisemitic. Brief mention is made of rampant antisemitism on American university campuses but does not address where that Jew-hatred comes from, which is often black activists, the Left, and Muslim Brotherhood instigation from groups like the Muslim Student Association (MSA). Finally, and perhaps worst of all, the Biden plan included among its partner groups the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the U.S. branch of HAMAS, the Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood that is listed on the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations list.
- “The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism: Key Actions by Pillar”, The White House, June 2, 2023
- “New U.S. National Strategy Plan to Combat Antisemitism Shaped by American Muslim Group with Antisemitic History”, The Foreign Desk, May 26, 2023
- “Asking the wrong question about Biden’s flawed antisemitism plan” by Jonathan S. Tobin, Jewish News Syndicate, May 30, 2023
- “Biden’s Antisemitism Strategy Fails to Condemn BDS, Includes Hamas-Linked CAIR” by Daniel Greenfield, Jihad Watch, May 27, 2023
- “The Biden administration’s anti-antisemitism travesty”, by Melanie Phillips, June 2, 2023
Next, there was the 2 May 2023 “listening session” at the White House for a klatch of HAMAS-and-Muslim-Brotherhood-linked front groups that included CAIR, ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), and MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council)…the first two of which were listed by the Department of Justice as Unindicted Co-Conspirators in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terror funding trial.
- “Readout of White House Listening Session on Islamophobia”, The White House, May 3, 2023
- “American Muslim Coalition Engages White House on Combating Islamophobia”, Muslim Public Affairs Council, May 4, 2023
- “CAIR Visits White House for Meeting on Islamophobia, Raises Watchlist Concerns”, Council on American-Islamic Relations, May 3, 2023
Rashad Hussain is the Biden Administration’s U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and formerly served as the Obama Administration’s Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The U.S. State Department released its new report on International Religious Freedom on 15 May 2023. While the report documents human rights abuses in Islamic societies including for apostasy and blasphemy and calls out the Taliban for robbing women and girls of access to education and other services “in the name of religion”, he pointedly avoids specifying that such violations of human rights and religious expression are in fact encoded in Islamic doctrine and law. In this, he, like his predecessor Amb. Sam Brownback, misuses his position to advance Islam and an “Islamophobia” narrative.
A 27 April 2023 report issued by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has been criticized by advocates for persecuted Christians in Nigeria for painting the Muslim Fulani ethnic group there as persecuted victims, when in fact, it is Christians who overwhelmingly are those being slaughtered by Islamic jihadis.
- “Int'l Religious Freedom Report calls out violations in China, Iran, India” by Sheri Walsh at UPI, May 15, 2023
- “US government religious freedom report ignores jihad atrocities against Christians, paints Fulani jihadis as victims” by Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch, May 11, 2023
And finally, there was the commemoration of the antisemitic “Nakba” event in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing room on 10 May 2023. After House Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked the use of the Capitol Visitors Center auditorium, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), with the approval of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), stepped in to offer the hearing room of the Senate committee that he chairs to the viciously antisemitic Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
- “EXCLUSIVE: McCarthy Blocks Rashida Tlaib's Anti-Semitic Congressional Event”, by Adam Kredo at the Washington Free Beacon, May 9, 2023
- “Schumer and Senate Dems Give Rashida Tlaib Platform for Anti-Semitic Event Mourning Israel's Creation After McCarthy Thwarts Plans” by Adam Kredo at the Washington Free Beacon, May 11, 2023
- “Bernie Sanders helps Rashida Tlaib host 'Nakba' event as rockets rain on Israel” by Lahav Harkov at The Jerusalem Post, May 11, 2023
- “Senate Dems Host Event Celebrating Islamic Terrorists Killing Jews” by Daniel Greenfield at Front Page Magazine, 16 May 2023