Hostility and prejudice towards Jewish people is obviously nothing new in our country or the world. It is actually quite interesting to note that there are neo-Nazis and Black radical extremists, who while simultaneously hating one another, share common ground with both groups having a fanatical distaste for Jewish people. With this in mind, this form of bigotry has been the impetus for some political rumblings in the media as of late.
The Daily Caller has revealed the number of politicians with direct connections to Minister Louis Farrakhan, the 84-year-old leader of the Nation of Islam, who has been known for his hostile remarks toward the Jewish people in the past. Some have gone on to denounce Farrakhan and/or his statements recently. However, there are still those who have maintained a relationship with him in spite of the vile remarks that he has made about this particular people group.
Farrakhan’s history of anti-Semitism
In 2014, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) detailed Farrakhan’s antisemitism and what they call his “anti-white theology.” The SPLC may not always be correct in their assessments of other well-known individuals or organizations, especially those with a conservative viewpoint, but they seem to hit the nail on the head when analyzing Farrakhan and his own controversial statements from the past. The page about Farrakhan on their site gives his “extremist info,” his background, and quotes from him going back to 1990.
With a video like below and a certainly debatable remark from 1990 — “The Jews, a small handful, control the movement of this great nation, like a radar controls the movement of a great ship in the waters … the Jews got a stranglehold on the Congress.” — one may ask the question: did he ever list out the evidence that he has against Jewish people?
The FBI has been the worst enemy of Black advancement. The Jews have control over those agencies of government. #Farrakhan pic.twitter.com/DXKCRr1zpo
— MINISTER FARRAKHAN (@LouisFarrakhan) March 7, 2018
Inconsistencies on the left regarding Farrakhan
Even with there being a history of disputable assertions by Farrakhan, politicians, like Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters, have not condemned him. Also, as pointed out by The Daily Caller, Minnesota Representative and Democratic National Committee deputy chair Keith Ellison continued to meet with Farrakhan, even after having condemned him earlier in 2006.
CNN’s Jake Tapper made a good point about condemning Farrakhan’s bigotry through a recent social media post.
It’s really not difficult at all to condemn this anti-Semitic, nonsensical bilge. Unless of course you (a) agree with it or (b) don’t want to alienate those who do. https://t.co/o9quwr1si2
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 8, 2018
James Hasson, a Contributor for The Federalist, actually pointed back to previous social media posts by Farrakhan to reveal the “bile” that he is known for uttering.
This is the hateful bile that Farrakhan spouts on a regular basis. Seven Democrats in Congress and the leaders of the Women's March have voluntarily associated themselves with him and refused to condemn him.
I just reported these tweets, so your move, @TwitterSupport. pic.twitter.com/sVbB6jexZi
— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) March 8, 2018
If Trump was seen taking pictures and shaking hands with White supremacists, like David Duke and Richard Spencer, then the Left would be having a field day about his apparent racism and ties to racists. Therefore, for them to keep some supposed air of moral superiority over Republicans or conservatives, they must remain consistent and denounce the antisemitism of Minister Farrakhan.
How can Rep. Maxine Walters blast Trump over the white supremacy displayed in Charlottesville and allow bigotry in another name slide? Rep. Ellison once said about Trump:
I have to come to a conclusion, based on all of the behavior I’ve seen out of Donald Trump, that the reason he is reluctant to denounce white supremacy and neo-Nazis and Klan members is because he has some level of sympathy for them.
So, if we use Ellison’s logic against itself in this situation, then can we ascertain from his reluctance to completely denounce Farrakhan’s prejudice (and avoid meeting with him until there is change or an expression of regret from Farrakhan) that he sympathizes with this form of prejudice?
Any rational individual who is against any form of bigotry is against all forms of bigotry.
Jerome Danner is a member of Project 21, an initiative of The National Center for Public Policy Research. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook for more of his thoughts and commentary. For more of Jerome’s writing, please check out his website.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.
