An Islamic leader who praised the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel recently co-hosted a fundraiser for Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) at a private residence in Fairfax, Virginia. Nihad Awad, the national executive director and co-founder of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), said he was “happy to see” the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. Rep. Bowman attended the fundraiser benefitting his re-election campaign.
Awad has come under repeated criticism for making antisemitic remarks. On several occasions, the national executive director of CAIR has claimed that Israel “does not have a right to self-defense” — seemingly justifying continued attacks by Iran’s terrorist proxies. Just a month after the barbaric Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, Awad told the 16th annual Convention for Palestine, “The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege—the walls of the concentration camp—on October 7.”
He continued: “And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not free to walk in.” The Biden government condemned Awad and his remarks after a media firestorm.
Bowman, a member of the far-left ‘Squad,’ has remained silent on why he attended the fundraiser and his reaction to Awad’s praise for Hamas and the deaths of innocent civilians on October 7. The progressive New York Democrat is locked in a tight primary battle to retain his seat. George Latimer, a Democrat and Westchester County Executive, appears poised to unseat the progressive incumbent.
Rep. Bowman infamously pulled a fire alarm to obstruct an official government proceeding. The New York Democrat appeared to be attempting to interrupt a Congressional budget vote.