Former Democratic New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind was removed from a Muslim event, after he asked keynote speaker Rashida Tlaib “What about your anti-Semitism? What about your blood libel?”
Former Democratic New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a pro-Israel activist, posted video online showing him being interrupted and escorted out by police at Rutgers University when he attempted to ask Congresswoman Tlaib questions as she stood at the podium.
In the clip, Hikind can be heard asking Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), “What about your…” before he’s interrupted and grabbed by a man wearing civilian clothes. “What about your anti-Semitism?” Hikind then shouts at Tlaib, “What about your blood libel?”
Police officers then gathered around Hikind and escorted him from the event — titled, “A Global Crisis: Refugees, Migrants, and Asylum Seekers – Lessons from the Prophet Muhammad” — as audience members chanted, “Rashida! Rashida!”
Police just ejected me from an event of @Muslims4Peace at @RutgersU which was a fine event until @RashidaTlaib showed up. I challenged her about her antisemitism and spreading of an anti-Jewish blood libel! She had no answer for me.
They will never silence us!
Cc @IlhanMN pic.twitter.com/vyMGCGGxlX
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) February 9, 2020
Why Did This Happen?
Hikind told Fox News that the event was not bad. He said he sat in the audience for almost three hours and “loved what they were saying,” but when Tlaib came up to speak he confronted her over spreading the false claim last month that Israeli Jews had killed a Palestinian little boy.
In this era of inaccurate and manipulative news, I will also strive to hold myself to the highest standards for what I share. Know that I always seek truth as we uplift the oppressed and fight for equality, justice, and freedom. https://t.co/wma0ykjZbF
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) January 28, 2020
Qais Abu Ramila, 8, went missing in January. A Palestinian official retweeted an unsubstantiated claim that the boy had been kidnapped and murdered by Jews, and Tlaib, in turn, retweeted the message. Qais’ death was later ruled an accidental drowning.
Hikind told The Washington Examiner:
“She point-blank accused Jews of killing a child,” “I went to confront her. This is as fundamental as anything, this is not disagreeing with her on some policy matter like abortion or something, this is blood libel. When you say something like this, and it spreads all over the world.”
The Palestinian official, Hanan Ashrawi, later apologized “for retweeting something that’s not fully verified,” but Tlaib did not offer an apology herself, and as you can see above Tlaib still hasn’t deleted the tweet.
Rep. Tlaib’s office refused to comment on the matter.
