The Company Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib Keeps

By Alex VanNess, THE CLARION PROJECT | January 10, 2019

Rashida Tlaib’s first day in Congress was one that made some waves. One wave which is getting the bulk of media attention is she shouted “We’re going to impeach the motherf**ker,” at a private event the evening after she was sworn into office.

Her comment, while classless, is not deserving of the media attention it received.  While outrage rose over this non-issue, a serious issue has been ignored.

The issue is that of the people with whom she is surrounding herself.  On the day Tlaib was sworn in, several of her friends and closes supporters came to Capitol Hill to celebrate with Tlaib.  Most of them have long histories of antisemitism which are far more concerning than a swear word.

These guests include:

Rasha Mubarak

Rasha Mubarak, CAIR’s Florida’s Orlando Regional Director and the President of Young Democrats of Orange County (Florida).

In July 2014, CAIR-Florida co-sponsored a pro-Hamas rally held outside the Israeli Consulate in downtown Miami, where rally goers repeatedly shouted, “We are Hamas” and “Let’s go Hamas.”  In 2015, CAIR-Florida held an annual fundraising dinner, in Orlando, featuring Chicago-area Imam, Kifah Mustapha as a guest speaker.  Both Mustapha and CAIR were named as co-conspirators by the United States government at the Hamas-fundraising trial of the Holy Land Foundation.

In 2014, during a rally in Orlando, Florida a man by the name of Said Lufti (Rasha Mubarak’s uncle) was asked on camera about a Hezbollah flag that was being carried at the rally.  Mubarak tried to stop Lufti from talking by saying (in Arabic), “Uncle, don’t talk to them they are Jews.”

Huwaida Arraf

Huwaida Arraf, who made an appearance on Tlaib’s first day, is the co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

ISM has a long history of supporting terrorism.

At the 2004 Palestine Solidarity Movement conference, ISM ran a recruitment meeting called “Volunteering in Palestine: Role and Value of International Activists.” In that session, Huwaida Arraf,acknowledged that ISM cooperates with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

In 2013, ISM expressed support for Samer Issawi, a terrorist affiliated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Linda Sarsour

Linda Sarsour is a co-founder of the Women’s March organization and she, along with several others co-founders are currently dealing with criticism due to their relationship to the Nation of Islam (NOI) and its leader, Louis Farrakhan.

In 2015, Sarsour spoke at a NOI event where she attacked Israel.  Last year, Sarsour sat on an anti-Semitism panel where she accused the “Jewish media” of ruining her reputation and claimed that Farrakhan was not an “existential threat to the Jewish community”

Farrakhan has a long history of antisemitic, anti-American, anti-white and conspiracy-filled preaching. Farrakhan regularly calls Jews “satanic” and claims that they “control everything and mostly everybody.” The antisemitic rhetoric used by the Pittsburgh shooter mirrored that of Farrakhan.

Sarsour has a long history of ties to radicalism and inflammatory remarks directed at the Jewish community.

Sarsour supports the discriminatory and terror-tied Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel and claimed, “Nothing is creepier” than Zionism. She has also discounted antisemitism, saying, “While antisemitism is something that impacts Jewish Americans, it’s different than anti-black racism or Islamophobia because it’s not systemic.” Sarsour even playfully jokes around with a known antisemite, and open Hezbollah supporter, on Twitter about the legitimacy of the Jewish people’s connection to Israel.

Amer Zahr

Amer Zahr’s a law professor, activist, and stand-up comedian.  Zahr is responsible for the Post-It note erasing Israel that made, on the world map in Tlaib’s office.

Petty antics aside, Zahr‘s views and associations should be cause for concern.  As a small example, Zahr’s Facebook header photo features him proudly serenading noted PFLP terrorist, Rasmea Odeh.

Zahr likes to compare Israel to ISIS and describes the Jews of Israel as white supremacists.

Zahr has been heavily involved with the group Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, an activist group opposing Israel’s right to exist and run by an antisemite and proud Hezbollah supporter, Abbas Hamideh.

Hamideh regularly praises Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and claims Jews have no history in Israel.

Zahr is as regular feature of Al-Awda events, where he is a regular speaker and provides entertainment at the end of their events.

Additionally, both Mubarak and Sarsour have also been involved with Al Awda in the past. In November 2014, Mubarak was a featured speaker at the Al-Awda 12th Annual International Convention, held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Sarsour has attended numerous rallies sponsored by Al-Awda, promoted and solicited donations for their events and spoken at their rallies. While having distanced herself a bit from Al-Awda, she has never renounced the organization.

Does Tlaib have any ties to Abbas Hamideh and the organization Al Awda?

In August 2018, the left-wing group, J Street officially withdrewtheir support for Tlaib.  Their initial endorsement came about after an extensive vetting process, which included personal interviews.  J Street requires support for a two-state solution and opposition to BDS in order to get their endorsement.  They withdrew their support after she publicly endorsed a one-state solution, as well as the BDS Movement against Israel.

Why did Tlaib publicly reverse the policy stances, which she claimed to support? Hamideh is taking credit for Tlaib’s reversal.

On August 8 2018, Hamideh publicly supported Tlaib.  Following his endorsement, Electronic Intifada reported on J Street’s endorsement. This news did not sit well for people in Hamideh’s activist circles, so Hamideh assured supporters that he “would get to the bottom” of this matter and boasted that she was just a phone call or “perhaps a personal meeting” away.  Shortly after, Tlaib was upset on Facebook, that Hamideh was trying to define who she is and where she stands, and accused him of “attacking” her and her friends.

Tlaib later went public with her reversal of her policy stances. Hamideh expressed his continued support and seemeddistressed at the accusation that he was “attacking” Tlaib and boasting about how “close” he is with members of her family.

These are the people within Tlaib’s inner circle. They are people with whom Tlaib reaches out to for support, and who can reach her without having to go through staff.

In the days following her swearing in, Tlaib wasted no time using antisemitic rhetoric to describe supporters of the bill opposing BDS of holding duel loyalties, stating the supporters “forgot what country they represent.”

As a freshman Congresswoman, Tlaib does not have much influence. Her bills will likely die before they hit the hopper.  However, she will have years to join caucuses, make friends with her fellow members of Congress, and bring the antisemitism of her inner circle to Capitol Hill.

Alex VanNess is a Research Analyst for the Clarion Intelligence Network and a Fellow at the Endowment for Middle East Truth.  He formerly served as Director of the Middle East Peace and Security Project for the Center for Security Policy and as a staffer on Capitol Hill.