Umar Farooq
25 March 2019•Update: 25 March 2019
WASHINGTON
An American rabbi purchased a full page advertisement in the Washington Post newspaper to attack congresswoman Ilhan Omar as anti-Semitic.
The ad, published on the opening day of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference Sunday, attacked the Muslim lawmaker by directly comparing Omar's words with anti-Semitic language from the "The International Jew," "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and "The White Man’s Bible".
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who calls himself "America's rabbi," took it to the AIPAC conference, where he presented it proudly, waving it at pro-Palestinian demonstrators protesting outside the Washington Convention Center.
The advertisement was posted days before Boteach will host top White House officials Thursday at a fundraising gala in Carnegie Hall.
The comparison was condemned by many on the left, including fellow Muslim congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
"This is a false ad that only serves to incite violence toward a Black Muslim woman. It’s fear-mongering and we need to stand together and say this type of hate should not have a place in our newspapers or society," Tlaib tweeted.
James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, called the ad "shameful".
"This full page ad was in today’s @washpost. It’s shameful - based on lies, bigotry, & fear. Who’s funding @RabbiShmuley slanderous campaign of incitement against @IlhanMN? His 'gofundme' only raised $161. So who’s paying for this poison & why did the Post run it?" Zogby said on Twitter.
Earlier this month, Omar was attacked for comments she made criticizing Israel.
"I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country," Omar said, referring to Israel, at a progressive town hall meeting.
The remarks received widespread and bipartisan backlash, with others in Congress labeling them as anti-Semitic. It led to the introduction of a resolution by House Democrats seen as implicitly condemning the comments. However, the bill was later changed to condemn all forms of hate.
Omar has apologized for similar comments made, however, this time she doubled down on her comments, saying she has "not mischaracterized our relationship with Israel. I have questioned it, and that has been clear from my end".
Over the weekend the congresswoman travelled to Los Angeles, where she addressed a fundraising event hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Outside the Woodland Hills Hilton, where the fundraiser was being held, 1,000 people from Jewish and conservative groups protested Omar's appearance, according to local reports.
She told a crowd of Muslims her "choice of country to talk about is not based on my preference of country. It is based on what country is violating basic human rights, according to Los Angeles Daily News, indirectly referring to Israel.
