Tuesday, December 05, 2017
Elder of Ziyon
Since I first began researching and writing
about Linda Sarsour in the summer of 2016 – after she complained about the lack
of support for the “Palestinian cause” at the Democratic National Convention –
I have been a bit astonished that, whenever I come across some new information
about her, it fits in amazingly well with what I’ve learnt about her previously.
The perhaps most striking example is one that goes back
exactly 14 years. On December 15, 2003, the New York area paper Newsday
ran a report
about reactions from local residents to the capture of the Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein. The article begins with the view of an imam:
“Asked what should be done with the
captured Saddam Hussein, an Iraqi-born leader of a mosque in Queens said the
kindest thing would be a public hanging. ‘If you put him in the streets [of
Baghdad] now, in a little while you would find him in pieces,’ said Fadhel
Al-Sahlani, the imam, or spiritual leader, of the Al-Khoei Benevolent
Foundation mosque.”
Then we get a short summary:
“Opinions in the local Muslim
community varied yesterday on what should be done with Hussein. The judgment
depended largely on the national origin of the person interviewed. For
instance, one woman of Palestinian descent said that Hussein, despite his many
faults, was a hero to many people in her community. But those who lived in or
around Iraq - and knew his brutality firsthand - were harsh in the judgment of
the deposed dictator.”
Sorry, no prize for guessing who the “woman of Palestinian
descent” was who spoke up for the widely loathed Iraqi dictator…
“Linda Sarsour, who is
American-born and of Palestinian descent, said many Palestinians viewed Hussein
as a hero because he steadfastly supported Palestinians in their struggle
against Israel. She and other Palestinian New Yorkers felt humiliated by the
way Hussein was caught and shown, disheveled and pathetic-looking, on
international television, Sarsour said. ‘I think he’s done a lot of things he
shouldn’t have done, but I was hurt. My Arab pride was hurt,’ said Sarsour, 23,
of Bensonhurst. ‘Palestinians are under so much oppression and no other Arab
country ever helped them.’”
Well, what can one say about Linda Sarsour’s “Arab pride”…
But it’s worthwhile recalling the context of 2003, when
Linda Sarsour rightly described Saddam Hussein as a Palestinian “hero” who “steadfastly
supported Palestinians in their struggle against Israel.” The support
was primarily “financial support for Palestinian terror groups, including
Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Palestine Liberation Front, and the Arab Liberation
Front, and … money to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. In April
2002, Iraq increased the amount of such payments from $10,000 to $25,000.”
This increase of payments to Palestinian terrorists was of
course Saddam Hussein’s way to contribute to the murderous Al-Aqsa Intifada
that was going on at the time, and it is very telling that Linda Sarsour was so
willing to show her appreciation for Hussein’s efforts to encourage Palestinian
terror attacks, which included many suicide bombings targeting buses,
restaurants and shopping areas.
Let’s now turn to a very recent story: you’ve probably heard
that longtime Berkeley lecturer Hatem Bazian, who co-founded “Students for
Justice in Palestine,” was recently caught sharing what has rightly been described
as “insanely anti-Semitic memes.” When Berkeley condemned the tweets, Bazian
came up with “[the] world’s least convincing apology;” one reason that his
apology was so unconvincing is that he has a long history “of presenting
anti-Semitism under the guise of anti-Zionism.”
So it’s of course entirely expected that Linda Sarsour is a
fan…
As far as Sarsour is concerned, Bazian is one of those Muslims “who speak truth w/
courage & w/o apology;” she has also praised
Bazian “for speaking truth to power & standing for Palestinians w/ the
utmost integrity.” Last year, Sarsour described
Bazian as “a revered leader in the Muslim community;” and just two weeks ago,
Sarsour declared she was “proud” of
Bazian’s relentless BDS activism.
On this last point, I actually agree with her: Bazian is
clearly an exemplary BDS activist, and it’s easy to see why Sarsour would be so
enthusiastic about him…
