Rep. Jamaal Bowman recently hosted a fundraiser with Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a controversial extremist Muslim leader who praised Hamas’ massacre in Israel. The event took place at a private residence in Fairfax, Virginia, and was publicized by a flier viewed by The Post. News of the event was first posted by Jewish Insider.
During his time in Congress, Bowman has been critical of Israel, accusing the country of crimes in Gaza. The pro-Israel lobby, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has announced plans to spend millions to unseat Bowman, with the first ads expected to roll out soon. Bowman is using the opposition from AIPAC as an opportunity to fundraise.
AIPAC and other moderate Democrats are supporting George Latimer, the Westchester County Executive, as a challenger to Bowman. Polls have shown Latimer dominating the race, but insiders expect it to be close. Nihad Awad, who publicly praised the Hamas slaughter in Israel in December, prompted the White House to sever ties with CAIR, accusing the organization of being an incubator for domestic terrorism.
The White House condemned Awad’s remarks as antisemitic and praised President Biden for denouncing the terrorist attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7 as abhorrent and evil. The White House removed CAIR from its “National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism” in response to Awad’s comments. Awad praised Bowman as a defender of Palestinian rights on Facebook and encouraged those interested in attending the fundraiser to send him a private message.
Representatives for Bowman did not respond to requests for comment on the fundraising event with Nihad Awad and his controversial statements. The fundraiser has sparked criticism and concern over Bowman’s association with an extremist Muslim leader who supports violent acts against Israel. The event has also highlighted Bowman’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing tensions between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine factions in Congress.
