by
Noah Phillips
Rashida
Tlaib’s
primary victory in Detroit’s 13th Congressional district is
daunting for Israel supporters in the US and abroad. In a matter of months,
Tlaib will have sizable influence to effect change on an issue central to her
heritage (she is a “Palestinian-American”), the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
with a voice infallibly slated against Israel.
Following
her primary victory and piquing national and international attention, Tlaib
regularly lambasted Israel on a slew of topics. In the past few days alone, she’s called for US aid
to Israel to be cut, expressed support for BDS, and endorsed a one-state
solution.
I
spoke with Tlaib’s
campaign manager, Steve Tobocman, ahead of the primaries, and he asserted that
Tlaib supports a two-state solution, which she now has contradicted. He also
stated that Tlaib supported a foreign aid budget to Israel, another position
she changed after the election. Tobocman did not immediately respond to my
request for clarification on Tlaib’s policies.
Yet
Tlaib’s recent rhetoric
and past actions are indicative of her genuine beliefs on the conflict.
Tlaib
was a keynote speaker at one of Detroit’s largest BDS
rallies in 2014, long before her Congressional bid. The rally drew tens of
thousands chanting “Free Palestine!” while touting
Palestinian flags. Also speaking at the event was Dawud Walid, who heads up the
Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and
publicly discusses his woes with Jews and Zionists.
“Who are those that
incur the wrath of Allah? They are the Jews, they are the Jews,” Walid said in a
2012 sermon, one of many anti-Semitic comments he’s made in the past.
Tlaib
is also well acquainted with Linda Sarsour, notoriously recognized by the
pro-Israel lobby for her contempt of Israel and as supporter of anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.
During the campaign, Sarsour spoke at a Tlaib campaign event giving her endorsement.
The relationship between Tlaib and Sarsour dates back years, to the point where
Sarsour described Tlaib as a mentor and role model, a disconcerting sign given
Sarsour’s
track record on Israel. When I asked Tobocman about Tlaib’s relationship with
Sarsour, he shifted the subject of the conversation, which he soon after ended.
Tlaib
has also expressed sympathy for terrorist and murderer Rasmea Odeh on Twitter.
This
is the quality of character chosen by Michiganders to represent them. They
chose someone with a vengeance against the State of Israel and who stands by
such people as Odeh, and who reverses her position on numerous critical
policies following the primary election.
So
why has Tlaib garnered so much support despite her evident character flaws and
poor choice in associates?
The
answer largely has to do with the race for diversity for the sake of diversity,
to the point where politicians are elected largely on the basis of their racial
and ethnic group. Whether intentionally or not, Tlaib banked on being the first
Muslim women to potentially reach Congress in order to grasp voter attention. And
Tlaib had significant help from media outlets covering the primaries. It’s unfortunate, but
it’s
a fact, that the vast majority of headlines about Tlaib read along the lines of
‘First
Muslim-American Women Makes Run for Congress,’ entirely
ignoring her policies, her questionable friends, and her as a person, beyond
being a member of a religion and female. But people love a pioneer—and that’s precisely what
Rashida Tlaib represents.
However
this isn’t
true diversity, and this isn’t the diversity needed in today’s world. Instead,
it’s
putting the faith of a candidate before the quality of their ideas, a
phenomenon which is discriminatory in and of itself.
Diversity
is an incredible thing, and initiatives for diversity in institutions have the
potential to bring inclusivity and tolerance that has been lacking so heavily
in recent years. But when diversity is misconstrued in such a way that Rashida
Tlaib is acclaimed in spite of her demagoguery towards Israel, it’s purpose is
entirely defeated.
As
a result of this pseudo-diversity, Tlaib’s
dangerous associations with anti-Semites and Israel-haters, as well as her
unconscionable rhetoric are overshadowed by her pioneer-status as a
Muslim-American woman.
In
this regard, Tlaib resembles another starlet of the 2018 primary campaign:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another harsh critic of Israel, who spoke at a
campaign event promoting Tlaib. Cortez fired up the crowd when she exclaimed
that “2018 isn’t the year that we
get our first Muslim woman to Congress. It’s that we get our
first class of Muslim women to Congress.” Cortez
would better serve the country if instead of placing the religion of Islam on a
pedestal, she spoke to the policies of Tlaib and other Muslim candidates, which
are what truly need the attention of voters.
And
as per usual, Israel is caught directly in the crosshairs of the
pseudo-diversity phenomenon. The blatant distaste for Israel presented by Tlaib
as well as Cortez and others, is reprehensible to say the least. Yet we see
weak secular media coverage of this and no voter outcry condemning the
outrageous beliefs and actions of Tlaib.
This
is not a denigration of Islam, or any other minority group for that matter, but
a critique of how politicians are nowadays evaluated first and foremost, as a
race, an ethnicity, a gender, and a religion, all before being assessed as
future lawmakers and leaders of society.