A U.S.-based rights advocacy group condemned anti-Muslim feedback made by Israel’s new consul-general in New York, who urged New Yorkers to “wake up” towards what he known as an alleged “radical Muslim occupation.”
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) condemned Ofir Akunis’s assertion made in an interview with the New York Post.
Akunis likened New York’s scenario to cities like London, Malmo and Paris, which he described as being underneath the occupation of “radical Muslims,” urging New Yorkers to behave earlier than it was too late.
In an announcement, CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher mentioned: “This false ‘wake up’ call is in reality a call to hatred and violence targeting New York Muslims and Arabs, and those perceived to be Muslim and Arab-American.”
Nasher emphasised that Akunis’ “false and hate-filled remarks should be repudiated by all political and religious leaders.”
She additionally highlighted the rise in anti-Muslim discrimination and hate crimes within the US, pointing to the very best variety of complaints acquired by CAIR in its 30-year historical past.
According to a civil rights report launched by CAIR’s nationwide workplace earlier this yr, they acquired 8,601 complaints in 2023, with half of them coming after Oct. 7, 2023. This was described as “the highest number of complaints received in CAIR’s 30-year history.”
In the interview, Akunis additionally referred to protests towards Israel’s assaults on Gaza, claiming that antisemitism he witnessed in New York was “the worst ever” since Jews started arriving within the United States in giant numbers within the late nineteenth century.
Source: www.dailysabah.com