[ April 24, 2024 ]
Once again Democrats stand staunchly for jihad and Jew-hatred.
EXCLUSIVE: Biden aides apologise privately over attack on Linda Sarsour
In a private call with community activists, a recording of which was obtained by MEE, Biden campaign officials said statements against Sarsour were an ‘egregious misstep’By: Ali Harb,, Middle East Eye, 23 August 2020:
Top aides to presidential candidate Joe Biden have apologised to Arab and Muslim Democrats over an attack on Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour by the campaign, in an effort to quell anger over the controversy.
Story continues below advertisementIn a private call with dozens of prominent activists on Sunday, Ashley Allison, national coalitions director for the Biden campaign, said she was “sorry” for the comments that a campaign spokesman made against Sarsour.
‘I am sorry that that happened. And I hope that whatever trust was broken, that this conversation is one small step to help build back the trust’
– Ashley Allison, Biden campaign
Top foreign policy adviser Tony Blinken also expressed “regret” over the incident during the virtual meeting.
Anger erupted after a Biden campaign spokesman had condemned Sarsour and suggested that she was antisemitic over her criticism of Israel.
Allison said she empathised with “the pain” that the campaign had caused to Arabs and Muslims by disavowing Sarsour.
“I am sorry that that happened. And I hope that whatever trust was broken, that this conversation is one small step to help build back the trust, but that is not the last time we have this conversation,” Allison told the activists.
Sunday’s call was off-the-record, but Middle East Eye obtained a recording of it.
The controversy
Sarsour, a well-liked figure in progressive Arab and Muslim circles, has been a target of rightwing attacks over her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
On Tuesday, she made a brief appearance on a panel as part of the Democratic National Convention, where she discussed voter engagement in the Muslim community.
Donald Trump’s campaign was quick to condemn her appearance, saying that Biden endorsed “her bigotry” against the Jewish people.
Biden’s campaign responded by denouncing and distancing itself from the Palestinian-American organiser.
“Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel and a vehement opponent of antisemitism his entire life, and he obviously condemns her views and opposes BDS, as does the Democratic platform,” campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement late on Tuesday.
“She has no role in the Biden campaign whatsoever.”
The comment drew the ire of numerous Arab and Muslim activists and groups, including many that had pledged support for Biden. Prominent organisations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Arab American Institute (AAI), the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and Emgage, urged the campaign to retract the statement.
Progressives also came to Sarsour’s defence. MoveOn, an influential leftwing group, called the Muslim activist a “leader in the fight for justice for all of us”.
“Biden can support Israel without implying that critique of Israeli gov’t policy is antisemitic or condemning advocates for Palestinian rights,” MoveOn said on Twitter earlier this week.
“Moving forward, it is critical for the Biden campaign to prioritize building a big tent that respects, represents, and welcomes progressives and Muslim and Arab Americans, even where policy disagreements exist.”
‘Egregious misstep’
Blinken acknowledged the “hurt and disappointment” that the comments against Sarsour caused.
“Historically, Republicans and Democrats have been quick to dismiss Muslim, Arab-American and especially Palestinian-American voices, and I want to reiterate on behalf of all of us our support for your communities,” Blinken told the activists on Sunday.
He pledged that the Biden campaign and future administration will be “genuinely inclusive” and ensure Arab and Muslim representation at the decision-making level.
“My apologies for what we did and what happened,” Blinken told attendees, pledging to continue the conversation with community advocates.
It was not clear whether the Biden aides planned to make this apology public. The campaign did not respond to MEE’s request for comment by time of publication.
campaign did not equate criticism of Israel to antisemitism and recognises “constitutional right to free speech on issues like BDS”.
Sanders added that Bates’ remarks were a collective mistake by the campaign, not solely the spokesman’s fault.
She called the statement an “egregious misstep” that damaged the work that Democratic Muslim advocates have been doing to mobilise the community to vote in November.
“That’s not how we do business… We are not in the business of condemning people and large swathes of the community, absolutely not,” she said.
“And we are just not going to try and do better going forward, we are going to do better going forward. This will not be a situation that will happen again.”
Blinken echoed Sanders’ assertion that Bates was not individually to blame for the statement against Sarsour.
“This should not be on our colleague who put it out… I dropped the ball on it, and I take responsibility for that, and I regret that,” Blinken said.
Campaign responds
Amer Zahr, a Palestinian-American comedian and the president of New Generation for Palestine, said the Biden aides’ remarks during the meeting are not enough, and the apology to Sarsour should be issued publicly.
“A private apology, where Linda Sarsour was not even present, simply does not suffice for a very public attack on her and our community,” Zahr, who was not on the call on Sunday, told MEE.
“They allowed this to simmer for days. And now, if they expect our community to simply accept this backroom stuff, I’m afraid they will be unpleasantly surprised. Apologies and retractions must occur in the same forum where the egregious acts occurred. Linda Sarsour was not maligned in a private phone call. She was condemned publicly.”
After the MEE story was published about the meeting, Sanders told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the campaign rejects Sarsour’s views.
“We met to affirm Vice President Biden’s unshakeable commitment to working with Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim Americans and to standing up against anti-Muslim prejudice, and to make clear that we regretted any hurt that was caused to these communities,” Sanders said according to Tapper.
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26 Comments
3 years ago
“she was “sorry” for the comments that a campaign spokesman made against Sarsour.”
So a vicious anti-Semite says viciously anti-Semitic things, and then
* the Biden campaign criticizes her anti-Semitism
* and then later, they apologize for criticizing her anti-Semitism…?
SO the “big tent” is supposed to include anti-Semitic Muslims.
And it is also supposed to include Jews, who are supposed to tolerate the vicious anti-Semites.
PERFECT example of deep ambivalence towards Jews by Democrats and Leftists. They want to hate Jews, but they want to keep their votes in the “big tent”.
3 years ago
Reply to
DemocracyRules
I understand what you are saying; but there is not a shred of “ambivalence” in Islamic anti-semitic dogma and the deranged, sub-human detritus of the Communist Democrats; towards Jews and Christians alike. They hate us and want to destroy all of us … PERIOD … NO AMBIVALENCE HERE! 
3 years ago
If this does not prove that Democrats and the Biden campaign are liars and deceivers, I do not know what will and if you actually believe this apology, well, I got 100 acres you know where for you know what……..AND THAT MAKES YOU DUMBER THAN A BOX OF ROCKS……….HUGE ROCKS.
BTW: ALL Muslims are the spawn of Satan, which makes the Democrat Party, the party of EVIL AND SATAN.
GOT THAT LIBERALS?
3 years ago
Reply to
Liberalism_IS_UNGODLY
Exactly, the only real Democrat ideology is to grab power. And they will tell any lie to get it. They tell Muslims that they hate Jews, and they tell Jews that they love Jews, and Jews are not supposed to notice the hypocrisy.
And the Muslims are not supposed to notice that the Democrats don’t want Muslims living anywhere near their neighborhoods, because they don’t like Muslims either.
3 years ago
Reply to
Liberalism_IS_UNGODLY
Now this is really well said Liberalism. That’s the bottom line: The demonic nature of ALL they do.
3 years ago
Yeah, he says one thing then this. Which reinforces the wisdom of watching what these people do; not what they say.
3 years ago
TRUMP 2020
3 years ago
Biden’s aides apologize for adverse comments regarding the Jew-hater Linda Sarsour. It is almost laughable; however, it is odious, the non-stop pandering of Jew-hater Sarsour, Muslims, in general, and her tag-along anti-Semitic Democrats.
Moreover, it is indicative of the Democrats’ tolerance and sanctioning of racial-hatred, terrorism, civil discord, and lawlessness. The Democrats and its true believers are rife with not only Jew-hatred but the never-ending contempt of everyone renouncing the Democrats’ vitriolic campaign and dogmatic absolutism.
3 years ago
Biden’s aides apologized but does Biden even know they apologized. Does he even know about the original comment.
Perhaps that would be a subject for the debate that will never happen.
3 years ago
“Sarsour, a well-liked figure in progressive Arab and Muslim circles…” Isn’t this an oxymoron, like giant shrimp? How can you be “progressive” and an Arab and muslim? The progress wanted is to return to the 1400s. Participation with the Dems is simply a means to the end of Israel by making Israel alone and unsupported politically.
3 years ago
Reply to
stephen5970
Muslims only work with others until they are in power and then they will kill the useful idiots.
3 years ago
When Omar insults Jews and shows herself to be antisemitic the Dems support her and refuse to sanction her, But say anything that casts doubt or points to the truth about Sansour and company, you will be expected or forced to apologise.
3 years ago
“…pledged that the Biden campaign and future administration will be “genuinely inclusive” and ensure Arab and Muslim representation at the decision-making level”, generally inclusive of moslems = generally exclusive of kufr.
3 years ago
If it was just Joe, the best of the worst of the Democratic party, I could live with it. However, the Democratic party is rotten to the core. Pelosi endorses Omar and Tlaib. Joe can’t control the left thugs that in effect will control him. Cities that were vibrant and served the people are now in ruins as desecrated as what the arabs did to Jewish property in Jerusalem. The Jews took it back in 1967 and America must maintain its institutions, its proud history, its safety, it’s economy or else we will enter a dark age indeed. No, Trump is not his own best friend and the flaws are there for all to see. He has my vote in 2020. Simply no choice.
3 years ago
Sarsour is a disgusting, hate ridden muslim skank and this disgraceful apology for a perfectly factual and modest comment is typical of what is wrong with this PC infested world. Muslims were hurt and offended! Who the hell cares! Having just forced myself to re-read the abysmally laughable trash that is the kooran and hadiths to try and understand something about an ideology that has murdered hundreds of million and is about as religious as a batman comic, I bet I’m a hell of a lot more offended than any of these scheming whining turds are.
3 years ago
Poor ol’ joe just saw a couple of million muslim voters drifting away. She was lucky they did not chop her head off just to kiss the muslim backside like they do everywhere else.
3 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
So who are these “muslim voters” going to cast their respective votes for? Certainly not DJT ……TRUMP 2020
3 years ago
Reply to
John Flynn
it’s was a hypothetical scenario and not really based upon reality as it was facetious but with no compulsory vote they just don’t have to vote.
3 years ago
Blind Sarsour hasn’t read Quran 2:282 nor has she read Bukhari Volume 1 Book 6 Hadith 301.
Allah the mute stone statue allegedly said “Women are half wits” and the fat white dwarf named Muhammad said “Women are deficient of intelligence!”
Why would you follow an ideology that says you are stupid!
Maybe because you are!
3 years ago
I think Sarsourshit (cockroach in Arabic) should run for POTUS.
3 years ago
Sarsour was WHELPED from a SWINE (pig) that was IMPREGNATED by a DOG (canine), that’s why she Squeals and Barks.
3 years ago
Amer Azhr is a comedian… Who knew…
3 years ago
take note.. once words leave the mouth, they cannot be put back no matter how hard they try. even the most sincere apologies won’t help. the damage has been done already. the realities of this, causes her to be SO SORE…
3 years ago
IF ANDREW BATES HAD ANYTHING TO HIM, HE’D BECOME A REPUBLICAN AND WORK FOR PRES. TRUMP IN PROTEST BUT THAT WON’T HAPPEN! THE U.K. HAD LABOUR’S ISLAMOPHILE MP JEREMY CORBYN WHILE THE U.S. HAS VP JOE BIDEN EXCEPT JEREMY CORBYN ACTUALLY KNEW WHERE HE WAS AT ANY POINT IN TIME! VP DEMENTIAL DADDY JOE MIGHTY SLOW HIDING BRIBE’M/BIDEN IS EXACTLY ALL THE ADJECTIVES USED HERE! SUPER SUMMER RIGHTISTS!
3 years ago
ISN’T DHIMMITUDE IN THE democ-RAT PARTY GREAT FOR THOSE OF THE JEWISH ETHNIC GROUP? THE DIMS WILL TAKE THE VOTES OF JEWS BUT REALLY VALUE THEIR MONEY! ONCE ELECTED, THEY WON’T NEED THEIR VOTES AND WILL BE IN A POSITION TO JUST TAKE THEIR MONEY! WATCH AND LEARN, ISRAEL!
