Again, an Islamist Outed from Maryland's Hate Crimes Commission; MEF's Role News from the Middle East Forum
August 20, 2024 https://www.meforum.org/66040/again-an-islamist-outed-from-maryland-hate-crimes | Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (Photo: Wiki Commons) |
PHILADELPHIA – August 20, 2024 – A member of Maryland's "Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention" is out of a job. Ayman Nassar, the second Islamist commissioner to get tossed from the hate crimes board within three months, resigned on August 19 amid public outrage over his role in terror-linked organizations and his history of anti-American, antisemitic, and homophobic hate speech. Nassar has accused Israel of harvesting the organs of living Palestinians and shared posts referring to Gaza as a "Holocaust." He is chairman of the Aafia Foundation, a "terrorist support group" that seeks to free "Lady Al Qaeda" Aafia Siddiqui and other convicted terrorists from prison. | Ayman Nassar was a member of the Maryland chapter of CAIR and leads a nonprofit that advocated for convicted terrorists. (Photo: LinkedIn) |
The Islamic Leadership Institute of America, which Nassar leads, teaches young students that homosexuality is a "disorder." In an Oct. 2022 lecture, Nassar called gay people "disgusting," "disgraceful" and "animals" who "must be destroyed." MEF's political advocacy initiative – MEF Action – published an August 15 article by Benjamin Baird outlining Nassar's statements and affiliations. The article included a link to a petition letter calling on Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown to rescind Nassar's nomination. In just 48 hours, participants sent over 6,000 emails and X posts to Gov. Wes Moore and to Brown. A flood of protests came from local activists such as the Council of Baltimore Region Activists and the Howard County Jewish Advocacy Group, as well as elected officials from the Maryland Jewish Legislative Caucus. "Today, Attorney General Brown accepted the resignation of Mr. Ayman Nassar from the Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention," Jennifer Donelan, spokesperson for the attorney general, informed MEF on August 19. In a statement to the Baltimore Banner, Nassar called the efforts to oust him "a coordinated Islamophobic campaign of hate and online bullying from anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim groups spearheaded by Middle East Form, led by Benjamin Baird, solely because of views on the atrocities and human rights violations inflicted against the Palestinian people." "Brown should apologize for his repeated oversights and, more importantly, nominate a Muslim commissioner who truly represents the values of the state and their community." -- Benjamin Baird Nassar's resignation followed a months-long MEF-led campaign to remove a previous extremist from the hate crimes panel. Zainab Chaudry of the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was eventually kicked off of the commission for comparing Hamas to "freedom fighters" and Israel to Nazi Germany, among other hateful comments. She was removed after Maryland's General Assembly introduced House Bill 763 permanently to ban CAIR, whose members had received a state-mandated seat on the commission. MEF Action supported this legislation by submitting testimony and working with Maryland officials, who eventually passed an act that completely overhauled the commission. Private organizations like CAIR were no longer promised seats on the hate crimes board, and all new members were hired. "After this monumental effort to restructure the commission, Attorney General Brown's nomination of another extremist was grossly negligent and insulting to the people of Maryland," noted Baird. "Brown should apologize for his repeated oversights and, more importantly, nominate a Muslim commissioner who truly represents the values of the state and their community. MEF has plenty of ideas of who such commissioners might be; do contact us, Attorney General Brown, for names." MEF continues closely to monitor the situation in Maryland with the goal of a hate-free Commission on Hate Crimes. The Middle East Forum, a non-profit organization, promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western civilization from Islamism. It does so through a combination of original ideas and focused activism. For more information, visit www.meforum.org. For immediate release
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