Why did Biden include antisemites in his strategy to fight antisemitism?
Zachary Faria
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President Joe Biden has removed the Council on American-Islamic Relations from his “National Strategy” to combat antisemitism. But why was the group included in the first place?
Video of CAIR’s national executive director, Nihad Awad, celebrating the Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas terrorists in a speech two weeks ago began circulating on Thursday. “The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on Oct. 7,” Awad said. “And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not allowed to walk in.” He added that “Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense.”
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The White House condemned the statement and erased CAIR from the administration’s much-hyped “First-Ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.” CAIR was previously included to launch a tour to help develop “strong relationships with other faith communities,” because nothing says forming strong relationships with Jewish people quite like praising the mass murder of Jews by antisemitic terrorists.
CAIR should have been removed in the immediate aftermath of the attack, when the organization absolved Hamas of any responsibility and blamed Israel for “unlawful occupation” and “apartheid.” Then again, CAIR has been mired in controversy going back years. It is worth asking why the group was included in an antisemitism strategy at all.
So why was it? Why did Biden include the group in his grand “strategy” to fight against antisemitism in the first place? Why was it only after Awad’s comments went viral that the group was removed, rather than immediately after the Oct. 7 attack when the group justified the massacre and all but outright stated Israel has no right to exist?
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It was, of course, more pandering to Muslim activists who have constantly tried to turn any conversation about antisemitism into one about “Islamophobia.” That is why, after the massacre of Jews, Biden allowed himself to be pressured into creating an “Islamophobia” national strategy as he did with antisemitism. CAIR’s inclusion in the antisemitism strategy was another attempt to water down conversations about antisemitism by making it all about diversity and combating all forms of bigotry.
Biden should be made to answer for why he ever thought it was a good idea to work with CAIR, let alone why he had no condemnation for the group in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre and its comments. Biden empowered antisemites while claiming to combat antisemitism. He should not be let off the hook for that.