This Thursday, the United States House of Representatives will vote on a resolution to “speak out against anti-Semitism, anti-Islamophobia, anti-white supremacy and all forms that it takes”.
The resolution is being created as a result of controversy following anti-semitic statements by Ilhan Omar, one of the first Muslim women in Congress. At a recent conference, Omar attacked supporters of Israel and pro-Israel policy by saying, “I want to talk about … political influence in this country that says it’s OK for people to push for allegiance for a foreign country,” and labeling Netanyahu supporters as “Benjamins”. Omar has a history of making similar comments and later apologizing, even comparing Israel to “an apartheid regime”. Her comments have lead to backlash from US Citizens and have even resulted in the generation of false ties between Omar and the attacks of 9/11. Omar is reportedly the victim of daily death threats and public criticism from the rest of the Democratic Party. According to the article, “Jonathan Greenblatt, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that the comments were a “vile anti-Semitic slur”. Some in the House, including Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey, publicly criticised Omar and demanded an apology.”
This incident is one of the many catalysts for the creation of this resolution, whose main purpose is to condemn anti-semitism. However, even Jews are worried about the implications of such a resolution…
“Senator Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, said in a statement to US media that he fears that House Republicans and others are targeting Omar ‘as a way of stifling … debate’ about Israel… “Anti-Semitism is a hateful and dangerous ideology which must be vigorously opposed in the United States and around the world. We must not, however, equate anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of the right-wing, Netanyahu government in Israel. Rather, we must develop an even-handed Middle East policy which brings Israelis and Palestinians together for a lasting peace,” he said.
The resolution, by combating anti-semitism, aims to additionally combat Islamophobia and other current cultural prejudices. Pelosi, one of the main proponents of the resolution, defends Omar. “I do not believe she understood the full weight of her words… those words have a history and cultural impact”.
I found it shocking that Omar, someone who likely understands all too well the vileness of cultural slurs, has such a history of anti-semitic remarks. Considering Omar’s Muslim heritage, I don’t exactly blame her for supporting Palestine more than she supports Israel, yet I think the comparison to apartheid and the suggestion that Israel supporters are traitors are incredibly extreme. Given the rise of anti-semitism in recent years (such as the attacks in Pittsburgh in 2018), I think it is important that actions are taken to prevent any kind of racial slur, whether they are anti-semitic, islamophobic, etc, although I am unsure of how a resolution will solve any intra-party cultural differences.