At a press conference last month to respond to the attacks against the Somali and Muslim community in Minnesota, the executive director of the Council of American Islamic Relations in Minnesota used part of his 20-plus minute prepared remarks to attack Israel.
Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of CAIR-MN, first blamed a leaked report that showed Israel’s foreign ministry had contracted with Stagwell, a holding company that houses several public relations companies, to help with messaging that promoted Israel’s perspective on the war with Hamas.
“There is a major reverse in the United States, particularly on the conservative side, to review whether America First means America First, or does America First mean Israel First?” Hussein said. “And because of that debate that is current, take currently taking place these, these PR firms have have reminded or provided some clarity on what is a good tactic. And that tactic is, and I quote here, ‘Israel’s best tactic to combat this, according to the study, is to foment fear of radical Islam and jihadism.’”
The press conference happened last month, prior to President Donald Trump calling Minnesota’s Somali population “garbage” and saying he wanted them sent “back to where they came from,” in response to reports of fraud against the state by members of the Somali community.
“Fraud is a serious issue. We are all taxpayers, and any money that is stolen, whether federally or locally or state county, impacts all of us,” Hussein said about 14 minutes into the press conference. “But I want us to also note that in these stories, what is missed is the fact that the victims, oftentimes are poor children, poor families who rely on that support, and we ask and we urge for accountability and transparency.”
Later, Hussein went back to discussing the “America First or Israel First topic,” while also defending Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, two right-wing media personalities who platform or promote antisemitic and white nationalist voices.
“I know for sure that this campaign mirrors the same campaign targeting Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, major influencers on the conservative side who have garnered tremendous support in the younger generation of Republicans who are refusing to accept that America will continue to take the wars of Israel, destabilize the Middle East, lose American soldiers, lose their own tax dollars, while committing carnage and losses in the lives of Muslims,” Hussein said. “Many of these young generation today have woken up. They have lost their blind support to Israel First, and because Israel First politicians and Israel First influences are now using these tactics to almost undermine the efforts of what’s happening.”
Ethan Roberts, the deputy executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, questions how a civil rights leader could come to the defense of Owens and Carlson.
“It’s the Horseshoe Theory,” he said. “What brings together Jaylani and Carlson is an obsession with Israel that it’s at the root of all problems. It’s challenging to see how on earth Israel would be a factor in why ICE is here, why Trump is going after the Somali community. There are so many more theories that are so obvious.”
Roberts said that Hussein’s remarks are “textbook antisemitism.”
“What does this have to do with the local media attention on fraud allegations? Clearly there’s an agenda from the president to increase deportations. The president has strongly held feelings on the Somali community which JCRC has taken great issue with. And none of it has to do with Israel at all.
“To be more focused on Israel than the president is what classic antisemitism is: It’s not the thing you see; it’s Israel or the Jews behind the thing you see. It’s a cabal in Jerusalem or social media pulling the strings. It’s textbook antisemitism full stop.”
Showing Somali community support
On Wednesday, the JCRC and the Jewish Community Outreach Organization – the DFL Party’s Jewish caucus – both put out statements of support for the Somali community while calling Trump’s remarks “dehumanizing.” Jewish Community Action made a public statement on Thursday morning.
On Thursday, more than 100 faith leaders from across religious traditions took part in a Minnesota Multifaith Network gathering in South Minneapolis to show solidarity for the Somali community. Included in the event were Rabbi Adam Spilker from Mount Zion Temple in St. Paul, and Rabbi Jill Avrin, the JCRC’s director of campus affairs.
Spilker said he was hesitant to speak because of the experience of past two years since Oct. 7.
“Whereas 10 years ago we stood side-by-side with the Muslim community after the bombing at Dar Al-Farooq and other similar situations, and they too with us after the Tree of Life shooting, our relations are strained,” Spilker said. “And there were people I knew were going to be at this event who have not spoken to October 7 and to have not responded to my outreaches since October 7.
“It gave me pause for thought, and then I acted on what I know is my values, which is that we have to speak out for our neighbors here. And I did so, and I pray that it might also thaw some of the relations, and help some in the Muslim community realize that we need to be focusing on relationships here and not in Israel and Gaza.”
Said Roberts: “This is a significant crisis. It’s not just the Somali community, but for us as a state. You’d want as many allies as possible which is what we saw at the Minnesota Multifaith Network. We don’t believe CAIR speaks for the Somali community.”
I understand what R. Spilker is saying, and know that he also is standing up for larger democratic ideals; and I don’t oppose him. And I don’t want any innocent people terrorized or deported.
But, I also don’t have time or energy to spend on people who cheered for the rape, murder, and kidnapping of my people – the Israeli people. They were out with calls of ‘River to the Sea’ on October 8, before Israel had launched any counter attack and was still in shock from the bloodshed and loss that they were discovering.
No. CAIR and Carlson and company can eat each other with their hatred. I want no part of it.
I don’t see much difference between Trump’s statements about Somalis e.g. they should go back where they came from and statements stating Jews in Israel should go back to where they come from. I applaud Rabbi Spilker for his moral consistency. I don’t understand the purpose of interfaith dialogue if we can’t talk about the elephant in the room. It would be like trying to have cultural exchanges between Jewish Americans and German Americans in the 1930s without discussing German-Jewish relations in Germany.