CAIR-NY Denounces Mayor Adams’ ‘Hypocritical’ Ramadan Iftar, Urges Call for Gaza Ceasefire
Pexels/Mike van Schoonderwalt
(NEW YORK, NY, 3/15/2024) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today denounced NYC Mayor Eric Adam’s “hypocritical” Ramadan Iftar and urged him to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, 13,000 of whom are children and thousands more remain unaccounted for under the rubble. Many children have starved to death in the Israeli-imposed famine.
Mayor Eric Adams is set to host an Iftar celebration on Tuesday, March 19 at the New York County Surrogate’s Courthouse. During Ramadan, Iftar is when Muslims break their fast after the Maghrib prayer at sunset.
“Mayor Eric Adams and all elected officials cannot continue to hypocritically express solidarity with Muslims while using our tax dollars to murder our sisters, mothers, brothers, and children in Palestine. They cannot assuage our pain with token events,” said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher. “Refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire amounts to complicity in the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. Such complicity from our elected officials puts Muslim New Yorkers at a continued risk of a documented increase in hate crimes, bias incidents, school and workplace discrimination, and law enforcement abuse at protests.”
She added, “We stand together with our brothers and sisters in humanity who are saying enough is enough, we demand a ceasefire NOW, with a permanent solution that recognizes the dignity of, and right of liberation for, our Palestinian families.”
Mayor Adams has repeatedly expressed his support for Israel, in the wake of its genocide in Gaza and publicly compared pro-Palestine protesters to extremists.
Earlier, CAIR-NY denounced his blanket condemnation of Pro-Palestinian protests in NYC and demanded the renunciation of dangerous rhetoric.
In 2023, CAIR-NY recorded 555 requests for legal assistance in 2023, of which 239 were directly related to Palestinian solidarity representing 43% of its requests. These numbers continue to rise with CAIR-NY receiving 122+ requests for assistance thus far in 2024 reflecting a continued surge in anti-Muslim incidents in New York.
CAIR-NY notes there are other Iftar dinners hosted by elected officials throughout the State that have yet to call for a ceasefire including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. CAIR-NY urges other organizations and community members to stand in solidarity with Palestine—to take a moral stand against the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza and any iftars of elected officials that have yet to call for a ceasefire.
CAIR-NY's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Become a Fan of CAIR-NY on Facebook
Subscribe to CAIR-NY's Email List
Subscribe to CAIR-NY's Twitter Feed
Subscribe to CAIR-NY’s YouTube Channel
Do you like reading CAIR-NY's press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR-NY's work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR-NY's advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR-NY.
END
CONTACT:
Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com;
Rabea Ali, CAIR-NY Communications Coordinator, 347-651-0954, rali@cair.com;