Women’s March Organizer Linda Sarsour Faces Anti-Arab, Islamophobic Hate Speech for Being “Unapologetically Palestinian”
BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer
Arab American co-chair of the massive Women’s March that took place on Saturday, Linda Sarsour, is facing a wave of hate speech from alt-right groups. Sarsour, a Palestinian Muslim and executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, is being called a terrorist sympathizer, Sharia law promoter, and anti-Semite after news of her involvement in the march made headlines.
As one of the organizers, Sarsour delivered a speech at the Women’s March on Washington, where she said she was “unapologetically Muslim American” and “unapologetically Palestinian-American.” She spoke about President Trump’s divisive campaign rhetoric, which targeted Muslims, Arabs, Mexicans, women, the disabled, and Black Americans. The activist urged all of these groups to stand together against hate speech and the president, but not the presidency.
Sarsour concluded her speech with a mention of her grandmother who continues to live in occupied territory, calling for justice for the oppressed.
Since her momentous speech, alt-right media have begun attacking the women who attended the march, claiming that they fell for the words of Sarsour, a “terrorist” organizer.
Front Page Mag, an extension of the David Horowitz Freedom Center (which the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a hate group), has branded Linda Sarsour an anti-Semite for supporting BDS and working with Muslim non-profits in America.
In another article on The Gateway Pundit, also an alt-right website tied to hate groups, author Cristina Laila alleges that Sarsour has ties to Hamas and often “hints at [Sharia law] taking over America.”
The accusations against the Arab American organizer are unsubstantiated and based on prejudice. While the hate rhetoric from these websites is not surprising, they are unfortunately gaining popularity amongst other alt-right members, anti-Arabs, and Islamophobes.
Twitter users are reacting to these charges with the hashtag #IMarchWithLinda. Supporters behind Sarsour are calling on others to stand up against the targeted bigotry, which so far, no other Women’s March organizer is facing. Sarsour is one of two other co-chairs, one Hispanic, the other Black, who are currently not being subjected to such propagated intolerance.
#IMarchwithLinda because .@lsarsour has put her life & her body on the line to stand up for me & mine. #Womensmarch https://t.co/0j9O8SgBOB
— Tina Dove (@TinaNDove) January 23, 2017
As an #unapologeticallyjewish woman, I support @lsarsour and her message. #IMarchWithLinda #UnapologeticallyMuslim
— Mollie Rose (@wonderstandme) January 23, 2017
#IMarchWithLinda because she epitomizes the essence of the Palestinian spirit. @lsarsour we got you!
— Deanna ديانا (@deannaothman) January 23, 2017
Palestinians who have been living in the U.S. for decades should not have to constantly fend off accusations of being a terrorist or an anti-Semite simply because of their heritage. Thankfully, the voices of those who stand with Sarsour are just as loud, if not louder, than the voices of hate. It is because of alt-right websites that Linda Sarsour and her colleagues organized the Women’s March in the first place, and welcomed the voices of four million people worldwide that stand against President Trump’s scapegoating.
An attack on a strong, Palestinian American Muslim woman reinforces the need for better understanding of the Palestinian cause. If four million women protest together for equality, justice, and empowerment, then they should take no issue sympathizing with Palestinians, who, for three generations, have strived for basic human rights and freedom.
