Jewish leaders expressed outrage Friday and Saturday over an anti-Semitic meme posted on the Facebook page of Rodney Muhammad, president of the Philadelphia NAACP. They called for Muhammad’s removal as head of the local civil rights group.
“This vile behavior from a civic leader is incredibly dangerous for Jewish communities across the world,” said Laura Frank, interim director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. In a statement, Frank demanded that the national NAACP remove Muhammad from his post immediately.
Shira Goodman, Philadelphia regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said, “We denounce the anti-Semitic meme posted [by] Rodney Muhammad in the strongest possible terms.”
The post, which was taken down, showed photos of Ice Cube, DeSean Jackson, and Nick Cannon above a cartoon image of a hook-nose, yarmulke-wearing figure crushing a mass of people with a ring-bedecked hand.
Next to the image is a quote attributed to Voltaire: “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.”
The image is a relatively common one on the internet, where it is often used by white supremacist groups to attack Jews. The quote is not from Voltaire, the French philosopher. Most likely it is the work of Kevin Strom, a white-supremacist, according to website Media Matters.
Muhammad could not be reached for comment Saturday, but in a brief exchange Friday with the website Billy Penn, which broke the story, he said he didn’t realize the image was offensive.
“To be real honest with you, I didn’t even pay attention to the picture,” he reportedly said. Muhammad said he wanted to show support for rapper Ice Cube, football player Jackson, and comedian Cannon. All have been recently criticized for anti-Semitic public pronouncements and social media posts. Jackson and Cannon have apologized; Ice Cube has not.
Muhammad later released a statement Friday that said: “I was not familiar with the image at the bottom of the post. I was responding to the individuals not able to speak out. I have worked with many in the city over the years. I would be happy to have a discussion with other leaders to better understand our history.”
The national office of the NAACP in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
“It is inconceivable that a person who theoretically works to uphold civil rights would engage in such blatant hate,” the ADL’s Goodman said. “To defend the anti-Semitic rhetoric of others is bad enough, but to post virulently anti-Jewish symbols and conspiracy theories is simply unacceptable.”
U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans also criticized Muhammad.
“I am appalled at Minister Rodney Muhammad’s sharing of a clearly anti-Semitic meme,” Evans said on Twitter Friday. “He was wrong and he should apologize.”
Philadelphia City Council member Jamie Gauthier said the incident “calls into question [Muhammad’s] competence” as a civic leader and as a leader of the NAACP.
In a statement released Friday, she said she hoped that the episode would “generate dialogue.”
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©2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer
They’re tryin’ to put the toothpaste back in the tube, but…
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Maybe as part of this “new normal” will be the notion that as the term “racism” becomes the “new” “anti-semitic,” then attacking anyone using “anti-semitic” “tropes” (gee I just love that word…it’s as meaningless as “anti-semitic” is!) will be “so yesterday” that it truly will, finally, become meaningless and being called “anti-semitic” will be something folks just fluff off their shoulder or whatever…”Anti-semitic, eh? So?”…. And in time, the same notion will be applied to the term “racist.”
Wow. So who are we supposed to feel sorry for? The Jews or the Blacks?
Both are supposed “minority groups”, so who are the sheeple supposed to support in this instance without being called “racist”?
As long as you screech the communist mantra “kill whitey”, you’re not racist. You know, because somehow that’s NOT racist? Don’t think I’ll ever pick up this commie-speak jive. Too circular in its pretzel “logic”. Safer just to let God sort ’em out and ask forgiveness.