US House Democrats have delayed a vote on a second resolution
condemning anti-semitism as politicians squabble over its wording,
according to US media.
The resolution, which was slated for a Wednesday vote, was
initially drafted as an indirect rebuke of Ilhan Omar, one of first
Muslim congresswomen in the United States.
But after pressure from some Democrats to include language
addressing anti-Muslim attacks on the representative, House leaders
are now looking at adding broader language that addresses bigotry
in general.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat,
confirmed on Wednesday the vote was pushedback to work on
“language”. He said no date has been set for a vote.
“Let me repeat, every Democrat is against all these `isms,’ all
this hate, all this prejudice which unfortunately the President of
the United States stokes on a regular basis,” he told
reporters.
“Israel hasn’t always existed obviously as a country, but this
is not a new trope. Therefore, it was perceived to be, correctly in
my opinion, a particular danger to this kind of rhetoric, whoever
said it. So that is why this question is being raised and being
dealt with and being discussed,” he said, adding that he did not
think Omar was anti-Semitic.
Omar, an African, Muslim, American immigrant, has been under
fire for weeks over what has been labeled as anti-Semitic
rhetoric.
Controversy swirled around Omar first last month when she
suggested pro-Israel politicians in the US were being influenced by
the lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC), who advocate pro-Israel policies.
In the wake of the comments, the House passed a resolution
condemning anti-Semitism, and Omar apologised.
But the Somali-American politician is under fire again for
making comments during a discussion at a Washington, DC event last
week that some politicians and Jewish groups called
“anti-Semitic”.
“I want to talk about … political influence in this country that
says it’s okay for people to push for allegiance for a foreign
country,” Omar said at the event.
“I want to ask why is it okay for me to talk about the influence
of the NRA, or fossil fuels industries, or Big Pharma, and not talk
about a powerful lobbying that is influencing policy,” she
said.
Her comments prompted Jonathan Greenblatt, the nation director
of the Anti-Defamation League, to write a letter to House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, accusing Omar of using a “vile anti-Semitic
slur”.
Others, including Representatives Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey
have joined Greenblatt in publicly critcising Omar and demanding an
apology.
Omar and her supporters, which includes Alexandria Ocasio
Cortez, among others, contend her comments were in reference to
Israeli lobbyists and not the Jewish community.
Pelosi, along with House Majority leader Steny Hoyer, began
drafting the second resolution over the weekend, but by Tuesday
night it appeared they decided to postpone any vote while they
consider amending the text to include language addressing all forms
of hate and bigotry.
Death threats
The controversy comes just days after Omar was the subject of an
anti-Muslim attack in the West Virginia legislature, where a poster
falsely linking her to the 9/11 terrorist attacks was on display at
a Republican-sponsored gathering.
The poster with a picture of the twin towers burning and Omar’s
face in front of it, said: “I am the proof you have forgotten”. The
poster was later removed, and the state’s Republican Party
chairwoman said it was not affiliated with the party.
Omar has also been subjected to death threats on a daily basis,
she confirmed last week. Recently, the words “Assassinate Ilhan
Omar” were written across a toilet in Minnesota petrol station. The
incident is under investigation by the FBI.
Rights groups and activists worry that the continued
condemnation from Congress and the president are fueling
Islamophobic attacks on Omar and other Muslims.
Phyllis Bennis, a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies who
serves on the board of Jewish Voices for Peace, was among those who
attended last week’s disputed event in Washington, DC.
She said while anti-Semitism was on the rise in the US, Omar
“said nothing that was anti-Semitic”.
Bennies believes attacks on Omar have been driven “more about
who she is than what she said”.
“She is being attacked for what people think what she might have
meant,” she told Al Jazeera. People are “looking for ways to take
her down.”
Although Omar is not the first Muslim in Congress, she is the
most visibility Muslim person in the House to date due to her
hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women. Khaled Beydoun, a law
professor, civil rights activist and author of a book on
Islamophobia, said this contributed to her “vilified” image and
“anti-Semitic” label.
“Anything critical of the state of Israel has been translated as
anti-Semitic,” he told Al Jazeera.
Omar was not available for comment, but during last week’s event
she shared Beydoun’s argument.
“What I am fearful of, because Rashida [Tlaib] and I are Muslim,
that a lot of our Jewish colleagues, a lot of our constituencies, a
lot of our allies, go to thinking that everything we say about
Israel to be anti-Semitic because we are Muslim,” she said. “And so
to me it is something that becomes designed to end the debate,” she
said.
‘Hypocrisy’
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, called the
House Democrats’ behaviour “shameful”, and proof that they did not
listen to what Omar said during the event, a video of which is
available online.
“They don’t care what Ilhan actually said,” he told Al Jazeera.
“It’s a manufactured crisis from the beginning,” he added. “This is
not even a crisis – they are making one.”
The House’s lack of response to Omar’s recent GOP poster attack
was “hypocritical”, Zogby said, and “worrisome”, as it could incite
and normalise hatred towards Omar.
Although some politicians have condemned the acts, including
Ocasio-Cortez, others remain silent.
“They are inciting against Ilhan Omar, giving an open invitation
to people who, as we seen, issue death threats,” he said.
A coalition of Muslim and Jewish groups on Wednesday held a
press conference on Capitol Hill to call on Democratic Party
leaders to equally condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black
racism, xenophobia, and physical threats against any member of
Congress. They coalition also declared their “unequivocal” support
for Omar.
With additional reporting by William Roberts
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS
2019 Elections: NAF Deploys ISR Aircraft for
Intelligence Gathering
NAF Air Officers at meeting with CAS
In line with the directives of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS),
General Abayomi Olonisakin, to all Services on the need to ensure
peaceful conduct of the forthcoming Gubernatorial and States’ House
of Assembly elections, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air
Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has directed Air Officers Commanding
(AOCs) and field commanders to ensure safety of lives and
properties in their various locations.
This is in addition to the deployment of NAF aircraft, including
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, to
various flash points in support of the Nigeria Police and other
security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the elections.
The CAS stated this during his operational briefing to Principal
Staff Officers (PSOs) and AOCs held today, 6 March 2019, at the
Headquarters, NAF Abuja. The meeting also afforded the AOCs the
opportunity to give updates on the level of preparedness and the
security arrangements put in place for the conduct of the elections
in their various areas of responsibilities (AORs).
During the meeting, Air Marshal Abubakar noted that contingency
plans have been emplaced in case of any break down of law and order
while NAF Hospitals and medical centres have been put on alert to
assist in attending to any medical emergencies. The CAS emphasized
that the responsibility of Commanders is to ensure security of
lives and property of Nigerians. He noted that no excuse would be
tolerated for any failure in this regard.
He also reminded AOCs that they must ensure that all NAF
personnel remain professional in the discharge of their duties
whilst ensuring that no individual or group of individuals is
allowed to undermine the electoral process.
He stressed that NAF personnel must endeavour to operate in
accordance with the Code of Conduct promulgated by Defence
Headquarters (DHQ) for members of the Armed Forces during
elections. They must sternly resist any entreaties by unscrupulous
politicians to get involved in partisan politics. Air Marshal
Abubakar therefore urged all eligible voters to come out en-masse
to vote for the candidates of their choice.
The CAS also noted that, as part of its constitutional role of
providing aid to civil authority, the NAF assisted the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) in successfully airlifting a
total of 633,790 Kg of electoral materials to 31 different
locations across the country from 12 February to 3 March 2019. He
highlighted that 8 NAF aircraft were employed in the airlift
operation, flying a total of about 340 hours in 257 sorties with
about 120 crew members involved, comprising pilots, technicians and
other specialties operating on an almost round the clock basis.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force