A Duke University professor has called on his fellow Muslims to confront the 'increasing anti-Semitism problem' within their community in wake of the Texas synagogue terror attack.
Abdullah T. Antepli, a professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations at the Duke Divinity School, took to Twitter Sunday saying members of his faith have a 'moral call for action for the soul of Islam and Muslim' to address the hatred towards Jews.
He also took aim at Rep. Ilhan Omar for over past anti-Semitic commentary, including a comment she made in 2019 suggesting that Israel’s allies in American politics were 'all about the Benjamins'. That was a reference to cash which was widely interpreted as an anti-Semitic trope, and which Omar later apologized for.
'We North American Muslims need to have the morally required tough conversations about those“…polite Zionists are our enemies…”“…The Benjamins!!!...” voices and realities within our communities,' Antepli wrote.
'We MUST! Without ands and buts, without any further denial, dismissal and or trivializing of the issues… we need to honestly discuss the increasing anti-Semitism within various Muslim communities.'
Abdullah T. Antepli, a professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations at the Duke Divinity School, took to Twitter Sunday saying members of his faith have a 'moral call for action for the soul of Islam and Muslim' to address the hatred towards Jews
Antepli's comments come just hours after an FBI Hostage Rescue Team on Saturday night stormed Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas - near Fort Worth - ending a 10-hour standoff with police by accused gunman Malik Faisal Akram, who disrupted a Sabbath service and took the rabbi and three other people hostage.
Akram, 44, of Blackburn, England - who was reportedly armed with 'backpacks of explosives' - had demanded the release of convicted Pakistani terrorist Aafia Siddiqu - known as Lady Al Qaeda - who police say was referred to as his sister.
The four hostages were all released unharmed. After the incident, the Jewish community and President Joe Biden renewed calls to fight anti-Semitism.
The FBI has sparked fury after claiming that they had yet to find evidence that the attack was anti-Semitic.
'Houston! We have a problem,' Antepli tweeted. 'Not going anywhere….quite the contrary getting worse.'
He argued that North American Muslims need to hold honest discussion about anti-Semitism without any 'further denial, dismissal and or trivializing of the issues'.
Antepli took to Twitter Sunday, calling on the Muslim community to address Jew-hatred 'honestly, morally and accurately'
The professor alleged the community has failed to address Jew-hatred 'honestly, morally and accurately'.
'I am really sick and tired of the over all defensiveness and tribal nature of our reaction to this alarming internal problem,' he wrote.
'We are better than this! We can no longer pretend the problems of anti-Semitism within us does not exist. There are more urgent moral calls than “Let’s not bring shame to our already vulnerable communities..”'
The professor also called out American leaders - specifically Omar - who he suggests further the anti-Semitism problem.
'The Benjamins,' he wrote, quoting a February 2019 tweet from Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, that caused outrage among her party and other leaders.
Antepli's comments come just hours after an FBI Hostage Rescue Team on Saturday night stormed Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas - near Fort Worth - ending a 10-hour standoff with police by accused gunman Malik Faisal Akram, who disrupted a Sabbath service and took the rabbi and three other people hostage
Akram, 44, of Blackburn, England - who was reportedly armed with 'backpacks of explosives' - had demanded the release of convicted Pakistani terrorist Aafia Siddiqu - known as Lady Al Qaeda - who police say was referred to as his sister
'Anti-Semitism must be called out, confronted and condemned whenever it is encountered, without exception,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her team wrote at the time.
'We are and will always be strong supporters of Israel in Congress because we understand that our support is based on shared values and strategic interests. Legitimate criticism of Israel's policies is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate that the United States and Israel share. But Congresswoman Omar's use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel's supporters is deeply offensive. We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments.'
Omar apologized for for using old anti-Semitic tropes about Jews and money in her tweets but stuck to her guns in blasting the problems of lobbyists and their financial influence in politics.
'Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes,' Omar said in a statement in 2019.
Antepli (left) also took aim at Rep. Ilhan Omar (right) for over past anti-Semitic commentary, including a comment she made in 2019 suggesting that Israel’s allies in American politics were ' all about the Benjamins'. That was a reference to cash which was widely interpreted as an anti-Semitic trope, and which Omar later apologized for
'The Benjamins,' Antepli wrote Sunday, quoting a February 2019 tweet from Omar (above) that caused outrage among her party and other leaders
'My intention is never
