A Bay Area interfaith group announced plans to honor the regional director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations — but then reversed course after protests from local Jewish organizations and donors.
Zahra Billoo, longtime executive director of the Bay Area chapter of the organization known as CAIR, said she was told in March that she would receive an award in October at the annual gathering of People Acting in Community Together, or PACT, in Santa Clara. According to The Intercept, the online journal that first reported the events, she was told that the award, also announced on PACT’s website, was intended “to build a stronger relationship with the Muslim community.”
But Billoo said PACT contacted her again recently and told her its Jewish members were angry about the award and that some were threatening to leave the organization or withdraw their funding. After PACT proposed several unacceptable alternatives, such as redirecting the honor to another staff member or to CAIR itself, she said, it withdrew the award on Tuesday.
Billoo was on a flight and unavailable for an interview but directed The Chronicle to an account of the events on her Facebook page.
“The organization rescinded my award because of my vocal support of Palestinian human rights,” Billoo said on Facebook.
Billoo has been a fierce critic of Israel’s government, denounced the recent killings by Israeli soldiers of more than 120 protesters in Gaza, and described Zionism as “racist.” She has also condemned the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization that supports the Israeli government, and has advised Muslims not to work with the league.
Read rest here
Comments powered by CComment