CAIR Action Alert: Tell Your Senators to Oppose Last-Minute Attempt to Gut Free Speech by Inserting IHRA Definition of Antisemitism into Defense Bill
- Ismail Allison
- November 18, 2024
- 3:19 pm
Join the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in urging Congress to oppose last-minute attempts to include the misleadingly titled and controversial Antisemitism Awareness Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This move threatens to suppress First Amendment-protected speech by conflating legitimate student and faculty criticism of Israeli government policies and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism.
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The act incorporates the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which blurs the line between hate speech and valid critiques of Israeli government’s policies, history and ideology. If enacted, it would direct the Department of Education to use this definition when assessing whether certain campus actions and statements were motivated by antisemitic intent. This could chill political discourse, label peaceful protests and campus activism as antisemitic, and disproportionately target Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and Palestinian students and their allies.
“Congressional leaders must halt the advancement of any legislation that seeks to silence student and faculty advocacy for Palestinian human rights. Schumer’s push to pass this bill without open debate is a dangerous move, weaponizing the highly controversial and widely disputed IHRA definition of antisemitism to suppress free speech and shield the Israeli government from criticism, all while ignoring the alarming rise in anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia,” said CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert McCaw. “Rushing to insert this unrelated language into a defense bill undermines the democratic process. Lawmakers must stand firm against this erosion of First Amendment rights and ensure that public discourse remains open and protected.”
While CAIR unequivocally opposes antisemitism, the IHRA definition can be used to censor critiques of the Israeli government and its treatment of Palestinians under the guise of combating antisemitism. It also makes student activists targets of Department of Education hate crime investigations. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and B’Tselem, have condemned Israeli actions as violations of international human rights law and acts of apartheid. This bill could freeze free speech on campuses and silence students expressing fair and legitimate concerns by mislabeling dissent as antisemitic.
Schumer is advocating for the act’s inclusion in the must-pass NDAA, following closed-door negotiations with key congressional leaders, including the House Speaker and Senate/House minority leaders (known as the “four corners” of leadership). If attached to the NDAA, its enactment would be virtually guaranteed.
Civil rights advocates, students, and supporters of free speech are urged to contact Congress and demand opposition to the Antisemitism Awareness Act. Together, we can protect the right to advocate for justice and speak out against oppression.
SAMPLE MESSAGE BEING SENT TO CONGRESS
Subject: Urgent: Oppose the Antisemitism Awareness Act in the NDAA
“Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name],
“I am writing to urge you to oppose the inclusion of the Antisemitism Awareness Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislation undermines First Amendment rights by conflating legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies with antisemitism, silencing advocacy for Palestinian rights and chilling free speech.
“The Act’s endorsement of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism is deeply flawed and ambiguous. If passed, it could mislabel peaceful protests, campus activism, and dissenting political views as antisemitic, suppressing essential discourse on justice and human rights.
“While I unequivocally oppose antisemitism, this legislation weaponizes the definition to target student activists, disproportionately impacting Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students. Renowned organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and B’Tselem have documented Israeli violations of international law and acts of apartheid. Suppressing advocacy for Palestinian rights undermines our democratic values.
“Please reject this dangerous attack on free expression and ensure Congress remains a forum for open debate. I look forward to your response.”
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com
Editor’s note: Democrats before election day had urged everyone to join them and vote for them to oppose fascism and fight for democracy but since election day Democrats in US Congress and US Senate are tripping over each other to mandate fascist loyalty to genocidal Israel. They have also been scapegoating those who did not vote for genocidal Kamala Harris as the reason the Democrats lost so horribly to Trump. It was their own incompetence in electioneering, trying to hide Biden’s deterioration and then doing a last minute swap with the horrible Harris candidate that caused their loss but that does not stop them from showing that Trump followers have nothing on Democrat Party loyalists who spew their venom toward those of us who simply want to stop the slaughter of Palestinians! Editor Fightbackbetter.com
See press release at CAIR site:
