CAIR – the Council on American-Islamic Relations – said that it staunchly supports the organization’s San Francisco director, Zahra Billoo, after she made blatant anti-Semitic comments at the American Muslims for Palestine’s Annual Convention for Palestine.

In her speech, Billoo said that “when we talk about Islamophobia, we often think of the vehement fascists… but I want us to pay attention to the polite Zionists, the ones that say, ‘let’s just break bread together.'”

Billoo said that “Zionist” synagogues and organizations are fomenting hatred against Muslims because they are afraid that Muslims advocate for Black Lives Matter, police accountability, homelessness, against poverty, for the environment, and “a free Palestine.”

“We need to pay attention to the Anti-Defamation League, we need to pay attention to the Jewish Federation, we need to pay attention to the Zionist synagogues, we need to pay attention to the Hillel chapters on our campuses,” Billoo said.

“Oppose the vehement fascists, but oppose the polite Zionists, too. They are not your friends… When we talk about Islamophobia and Zionism let’s be clear about the connections.”

Billoo also claimed that the Israeli military trained US police officers to “kill unarmed black men, women and children” and that the technology “used at the US-Mexico border is the same technology used at the apartheid wall.”

Instead of condemning or firing her, CAIR came out in support of Billoo, claiming that “anti-Muslim websites misquoted Zahra’s remarks and falsely claimed that she discouraged Muslims from working with Jewish groups at-large.”

“This is a blatant lie,” CAIR said in a statement. “In fact, Zahra praised the many Jewish activists and groups that support human rights for all people, including Palestinians, and specifically encouraged Muslims to engage in interfaith collaboration with Jewish organizations such as IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace. We strongly condemn this online smear campaign against our sister and colleague, Zahra Billoo.”

Anti-Defamation League chief Jason Greenblatt blasted CAIR for their defense of Billoo, calling her comments “textbook vile, antisemitic, conspiracy-laden garbage attacking the mainstream US Jewish community. It sounds like something you would expect from white supremacists.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)