WASHINGTON — A campaign calling on Muslim-Americans to oppose President Biden’s re-election bid over his support for Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip includes a man accused of spousal abuse and ties to the terrorist group Hamas, as well as a supporter of flogging as punishment, The Post has learned. .
Leaders of the “Abandon Biden” movement gathered on stage at the Hampton Inn on Saturday in Dearborn, Mich., to slam the 81-year-old commander-in-chief for not forcing Israel to end its aggression in response to the killing of 1,200 people – including 33 Americans – on Oct. 7 .
Among the group was Hassan Shibly, whose ex-wife Imane Sadrati alleged “vicious” physical abuse in a GoFundMe post, which led to Shibly’s resignation as chair of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. His alleged misconduct was the subject of an NPR investigation in 2021.
Shibly also faced allegations of abuse from a second woman, Kyla McRoberts, who told NPR “he stole my self-esteem” — at one point cutting off her ponytail while she slept as punishment because she posted a photo of herself without a hijab.
Another speaker, Khalid Turaani, was banned by Israel in 2020 for serving as a board member of the IPALESTINE group, which the Israeli government claims “belongs to Hamas.” The ban prohibits financial transfers to Turaani.
Tom Facchine, another speaker, last month publicly defended flogging as punishment under Islamic law, or sharia – saying it was more humane than prison.
“If I get 70 lashes for something, I walk home to my kids and to my wife and I’m done,” Facchine said.
Hassan Shibly’s ex-wife, Imane Sadrati, alleged “violent” physical abuse in a GoFundMe post
“What happens here if I’m a criminal? I was locked up for years. My children are punished for it. My wife was punished for that, my family was punished for that,” he continued.
“Which system is more barbaric? … sharia is far more compassionate, it is more flexible, and it is a more humane legal system than anything the world has ever seen.”
Yet another anti-Biden activist, Hazim Nasaredden, wrote on Facebook the day after the October 7 attack, using the Hamas code for the attack: “[Operation] Al-Aqsa [S]Torture is the inevitable consequence of Israel’s continued oppression of the free men and women of Gaza, the illegal demolition of residents’ homes in Jerusalem, and the relentless assault on the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
“I stand with my brothers who continue to fight for the freedom of all Palestinians and more importantly the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque for every Muslim around the world,” he added.
In 2021, Nasaredden tweeted“In a Free and Fair Election [sic] In Palestine, the Resistance Movement (HAMAS) Not Only Controls Gaza, But the West Bank Also.”
A pro-Biden Democratic operative pointed to the extensive personal baggage of the featured speaker at the event.
Polls show there is indeed a growing recall of Biden among Arab and Muslim Americans, but Democratic operatives say the leader on stage is not a credible political voice.
“Beltway reporters are so eager to turn a protest in someone’s living room into a big deal for Joe Biden that they don’t even bother to do basic homework — and then you get a situation like this,” he said.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), an outspoken defender of Israel, added: “Some of the insular events we’ve seen — some of which have unfortunately crossed into antisemitism territory — are myopic and pale in comparison to the work being done [by Biden] to bring Americans home.”
Shibly told The Post that he denied the abuse allegations made against him by his ex-wife and by McRoberts, claiming: “NPR has done me dirty.”
“Seeing the response [to the Abandon Biden movement] by die-hard Biden supporters is absolutely disgusting and it’s also hypocritical because Biden himself has allegations against him — you know, there’s a lot out there. But it seems that these allegations are only given weight depending on the person’s political stance,” he added.
Shibly said that he considered suing the public radio station, although he did not do so within the two-year period normally required by state law.
Shibly also faces abuse claims from a second woman, Kyla McRoberts. Michigan Community Update/Facebook
He provided The Post with family court documents showing that his ex-wife’s request for a restraining order was denied in March 2021 after she asked for it to be dismissed. The court ruled that there were no grounds in the initial complaint to find Sadrati in immediate danger.
“The fact that my detractors are bringing up old, tainted, years-old slanderous attacks against me, instead of addressing the issues at hand, only reflects badly on them. This is not about me. And this is not about the messenger,” added Shibly.
“What is relevant is that, every day, 175 Palestinian children are blown to pieces by American weapons by Israel.”
Sadrati could not immediately be reached for comment. Her 2020 GoFundMe drive alleging abuse raised more than $34,000. In a Facebook post dated Nov. 8, he wrote that he and Shibly had “moved on[d] transcending our differences and parenting with our (now teenage) children… in ways that were once possible.”
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In an apparent reference to the Gaza conflict, he wrote that “what is happening in this world” is “a sign that we need to renew our faith and ask for forgiveness from those we may have hurt.”
Shibly also provided a recorded conversation he said he had with McRoberts — who was booked into a Kentucky jail at the time — in which he said “I’m sorry for what happened” when he asked her why he “lied about me.”
A relative of Turaani was contacted by The Post and agreed to pass on a request for comment. The Post was unable to contact Facchine or Nasaredden.
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While several leaders of anti-Biden activist groups have been mired in scandal, there is reason for the White House to worry about the impact of Muslim and Arab voters, particularly in swing states like Michigan.
Pollster John Zogby told The Post that polls show trouble ahead for Biden, who only narrowly beat then-President Donald Trump in the last election.
“Arab Americans and Muslim Americans are jumping big into the Democratic Party,” Zogby said. “So this is a dramatic change by both groups.”
An October nationwide poll conducted by Zogby found Arab voters abandoning Biden in droves — though most were not expected to support Trump, who imposed strict travel restrictions on several Middle Eastern countries early in his administration.
Only 17% of Arab Americans polled said they planned to vote for Biden in 2024 — compared to 59% who said they supported him in 2020.
Zogby said that about two-thirds of the more than 2 million Arab Americans are Christians whose families immigrated from the Palestinian territories and countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
Famous American Christians of Palestinian descent include former Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) who revealed in October that several of his young relatives were among those killed after Israel bombed a building next to the historic Gaza church where they were sheltering.
There is partial overlap between Arab and American Muslims, but most of the approximately 3.5 million American Muslims are from South Asia, Iran and other countries, or are American converts.
A statewide Michigan poll measuring Biden’s combined support among Arabs and Muslims found in November that Biden would garner just 16% of the cohort’s vote.
“It feels like it [among Arab and Muslim voters] is that the Biden administration just went too far this time in embracing Israel,” said Zogby, who added that anti-Biden sentiment on the war was “not a fringe view”.
When asked if the president could get voters back on his side, Zogby said: “I can’t predict, but I don’t see how.
“Given the sentiment at the moment, it’s hard for me to imagine, ‘Oh, you know, that was, but I like him on other issues.’ I do not think so.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
