Jews and Muslims Have Each Others' Backs, Meghan

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | April 29, 2019 |

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | April 29, 2019 |

It’s been a rough few months for the Jewish community both here and around the world. Small though it may be, however, there has been a silver lining. After the Tree of Life shooting, for instance, the vigil organized by the Jewish community in my city was attended by many Muslim and Christian religious leaders and laypeople. Likewise, after the Christchurch shooting, many Jewish leaders were part of the gathering to remember those killed in the mosque massacres and to show solidarity with the Muslim community. In both instances, each community also raised money to help and support the other community. Jews and Muslims here in Maine have each others’ back, and they stand in solidarity not against each other, but against hate.

It’s not just here, either. When a mosque was burned down in a hate crime attack in Florida, Jews helped them to rebuild. When a fire burned a mosque in New York, the Jews opened their synagogue to offer over 500 Muslims a place to worship. The same thing happened in Texas two years ago. After the Tree of Life shooting, Muslims around the country united and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the victims.

Many political leaders on the right would have us believe that the escalating violence that has erupted in mosques and synagogues around the world is between the Jews and the Muslims. It is not. Jews and Muslims stand together against the common enemy: White supremacy.

In an effort to distract Americans from the actual enemy and senselessly pit Jews and Muslims against each other, people like Ted Cruz have sought to blame Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

The anti-Semitic Left—whether @IlhanMN repeated anti-Israel slurs or @nytimes apologizing for Hamas terrorists (eg, on 3/14/18) & running racist cartoons—is getting worse. And the House can’t even pass an anti-Semitism resolution. Responsible Dems need to say Enough is Enough. https://t.co/ca99Mcq9Ij

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 28, 2019

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Meghan McCain — who has zero qualifications to talk about this other than being John McCain’s daughter — said on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, “When we’re having conversations about anti-Semitism, we should be looking at the most extreme on both sides. I would bring up Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and some of her comments that got so much attention.”

Yes, the political cartoon in the NYTimes International edition was anti-Semitic as hell, and yes, many in the Jewish community took issue with the language Ilhan Omar used to take issue with AIPAC.

But Congresswoman Omar is not behind the escalating attacks on the Jewish community in the two years since Donald Trump was elected. If you really want to understand the reason behind the surge in hate crimes — against both Muslims and Jews — look no further than Fox News. You’ll have to settle for only a two-minute explanation, however, before Fox News abruptly cuts to a commercial to silence their Jewish guest.

Wow! Fox News invites Jewish guest who attends Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue & asks him why there’s a spike in anti-Semitism?

He responds by condemning Trump’s anti-Semitism.

Fox immediately cuts to commercial😐

This is what State TV looks like
pic.twitter.com/R9K8SbDZ21

— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) April 28, 2019

The right is trying to weaponize white supremacy in an effort to fuel violence between the Muslim and Jewish communities and distract from the real problem: White men radicalized by a President who congratulates not the Black number one pick of the NFL draft, but the number two pick, a White guy with a history of racism. But Jews and Muslims know better. While political leaders on the right attempt to divide us, we continue to stand up for one another, even in the face of continued violence.