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'''Linda Sarsour''' (born 1980)<ref name="Mitter">{{cite news |date=May 9, 2015 |first=Siddhartha |last=Mitter |url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/5/9/linda-sarsours-rising-profile-reflects-new-generation-of-muslim-activists.html|publisher=]|accessdate=January 7, 2018||title=Linda Sarsour's rising profile reflects new generation of Muslim activists |work=Al Jazeera America}}</ref> is an American political activist and former executive director of the ]. She has prominently advocated on behalf of ] and other civil rights issues such as ], ], and ]. She identifies herself as a supporter of the ] and the ]. '''Linda Sarsour''' (born 1980)<ref name="Mitter">{{cite news |date=May 9, 2015 |first=Siddhartha |last=Mitter |url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/5/9/linda-sarsours-rising-profile-reflects-new-generation-of-muslim-activists.html|publisher=]|accessdate=January 7, 2018||title=Linda Sarsour's rising profile reflects new generation of Muslim activists |work=Al Jazeera America}}</ref> is an American political activist and former executive director of the ]. She has prominently advocated on behalf of ] and other civil rights issues such as ], ], and ]. She identifies herself as a supporter of the ] and the ].


Sarsour was co-chair of the ] and of the 2017 ] strike and protest. She has worked with ] and ]. Sarsour, who is of Palestinian descent, supports the ] campaign. She has received praise from some progressives for her political activism, though her remarks on the ] and condemnations of Israel have drawn criticism, including by the ]. Sarsour was co-chair of the ] and of the 2017 ] strike and protest. She has worked with ] and ]. Sarsour, who is of Palestinian descent, supports the ] campaign. She has received praise from some progressives for her political activism, though her remarks on the ] and condemnations of Israel have drawn criticism.


Sarsour gained attention for protesting ] of American Muslims, and later was the lead plaintiff in a suit challenging the legality of the ]. Sarsour and her Women's March co-chairs were included in '']'' magazine's "]" in 2017. Sarsour gained attention for protesting ] of American Muslims, and later was the lead plaintiff in a suit challenging the legality of the ]. Sarsour and her Women's March co-chairs were included in '']'' magazine's "]" in 2017.

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Linda Sarsour
Linda Sarsour speaking at a panel discussionSarsour in May 2016
Born1980 (age 44–45)
New York City, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Activist
  • media commentator
Known forCo-chair of the 2017 Women's March

Linda Sarsour (born 1980) is an American political activist and former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York. She has prominently advocated on behalf of American Muslims and other civil rights issues such as police brutality, immigration policy, and mass incarceration. She identifies herself as a supporter of the progressive movement and the Democratic Party.

Sarsour was co-chair of the 2017 Women's March and of the 2017 Day Without a Woman strike and protest. She has worked with Black Lives Matter and Jewish Voice for Peace. Sarsour, who is of Palestinian descent, supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. She has received praise from some progressives for her political activism, though her remarks on the Arab-Israeli conflict and condemnations of Israel have drawn criticism.

Sarsour gained attention for protesting police surveillance of American Muslims, and later was the lead plaintiff in a suit challenging the legality of the Trump travel ban. Sarsour and her Women's March co-chairs were included in Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" in 2017.

Personal life

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Sarsour is the oldest of seven children of Palestinian immigrants. She was raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and went to John Jay High School in Park Slope.

After high school, she took courses at Kingsborough Community College and Brooklyn College with the goal of becoming an English teacher. As of 2011 Sarsour lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Sarsour was married in an arranged marriage at the age of 17 and had three children by her mid-20s. Both Sarsour's family and her husband are from the Palestinian city of Al-Bireh—in the West Bank, and about 9 miles (14 km) north of Jerusalem.

Political activism career

Arab American Association of New York

Sarsour's early activism included defending the civil rights of American Muslims following the September 11 attacks of 2001. Shortly before 9/11, Basemah Atweh, a relative and founder of the Arab American Association of New York, asked Sarsour to volunteer for the organization. Atweh, who held a prominent political role uncommon for a Muslim woman, became Sarsour's mentor.

When Sarsour and Atweh were returning from the 2005 gala opening of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, their car was struck by a tractor-trailer. Atweh died of her injuries, and two other passengers suffered from broken bones. Sarsour, who was driving, was not seriously injured. She returned to work immediately, saying of Atweh, "This is where she wanted me to be". She was named to succeed Atweh as executive director of the association at age 25. Over the next several years she expanded the scope of the organization, building its budget from $50,000 to $700,000 annually.

Sarsour has gained attention for protesting police surveillance of American Muslims. As director of the Arab American Association of New York, she advocated for passage of the Community Safety Act in New York, which created an independent office to review police policy and expanded the definition of bias-based profiling in New York. She and the organization pressed for the law after instances of what they saw as biased policing in local neighborhoods, and it passed over the objections of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg and then-Police Chief Raymond W. Kelly.

Sarsour became a regular attendee at Black Lives Matter demonstrations as well as a frequent television commentator on feminism. According to The New York Times, Sarsour "has tackled issues like immigration policy, mass incarceration, stop-and-frisk and the New York City Police Department’s spying operations on Muslims — all of which have largely inured her to hate-tinged criticism".

She has spoken about her activism in the context of building a progressive movement in the United States, and has been praised by liberal politicians and activists. In 2012, during the presidency of Barack Obama, the White House recognized Sarsour as a "champion of change".

Sarsour worked to have Muslim holidays recognized in New York City's public schools, which started observing Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr in 2015.

Black Lives Matter

Following the shooting of Michael Brown, Sarsour helped to organize the American Muslim community's response as well as the wider Black Lives Matter protests. Sarsour helped form "Muslims for Ferguson", and she traveled to Ferguson with other activists in 2014. She has continued to work extensively with BLM ever since.

In August 2017 Sarsour spoke at the "United We Stand" rally in front of NFL headquarters in New York in support of Colin Kaepernick.

Democratic Party involvement

In 2016 Sarsour ran for a position as a County Committee member with the Democratic Party of Kings County, New York. She placed third.

Sarsour spoke as a surrogate for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2016 presidential campaign.

2017 Women's March and later activism

Teresa Shook and Bob Bland, organizers of the 2017 Women's March, recruited Sarsour as co-chair of the event, to be held the day after Donald Trump's inauguration as president. According to Politico, Sarsour had by then become the controversial "face of the resistance" to Trump:

For Sarsour, Trump’s election came after years of standing up for people he had maligned—not just women, but Muslims, immigrants and black Americans, too. Her ties with activists from around the country helped her galvanize different groups during the disorienting period following the election But the unyielding positions Sarsour took, and the friction they engendered, were also emblematic of a movement that has struggled to strike a balance between big-tent politics and the purity of its platform.

Following her leadership role in the Women's March, Sarsour received threats of violence on social media and personal attacks by conservative media outlets, including false reports that she supported the militant Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and advocated imposing Islamic law in the United States. Her critics among American conservatives and pro-Israel Democrats have accused her of anti-Semitism for her stance on Middle Eastern politics, including her support for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Several conservative media outlets and personalities portrayed her use of the word jihad in a speech describing American Muslims' struggle against discrimination as a call for violence against the president, which she denied, citing her commitment to nonviolent activism.

The commentator Melissa Harris-Perry writes that Sarsour was "the most reliable target of public vitriol" of the 2017 Women's March leaders over the following year, and she has been called "a favorite target of the right" in Newsweek. Sarsour stated that, while the march was a high point in her career, the media attacks that followed caused concern for her safety. In response to the attacks, supporters used the Twitter hashtag #IMarchWithLinda, including Sharon Brous of the National Council of Jewish Women, who worked with Sarsour in organizing the 2017 Women's March, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sarsour, along with her three co-chairs, was named as one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" after the January march. She has been active in opposing the Trump Administration's ban on travelers from several Muslim-majority countries, and she was named lead plaintiff in a legal challenge brought by the Council on American–Islamic Relations. In Sarsour v. Trump, the plaintiffs argued that the travel ban existed only to keep Muslims out of the United States.

Sarsour has worked closely with far-left Jewish groups including Jewish Voice for Peace and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. According to Haaretz, mainstream Jewish organizations "long held her at arms’ length" due to her criticism of Israel and her support for the BDS movement. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, "Progressive Jews are willing to look past her anti-Zionism in light of her work on behalf of women and minorities But right-wing and some centrist Jews can't support her activist work in light of her anti-Zionism". Two directors of the U.S.-based Jewish NGO the Anti-Defamation League, along with the president of the Zionist Organization of America, have criticized her stance on Israel; the ADL's director, Jonathan Greenblatt, has said that Sarsour's support of BDS "encourages and spreads anti-Semitism". Sarsour has disputed characterizations of her beliefs as anti-Semitic, saying that her criticism of the state of Israel has been conflated with antipathy for Jews.

Sarsour has said that she supports a one-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, believes in Israel's right to exist, and that she does not support either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. She has stated that she would like for Israelis and Palestinians to coexist "with peace and justice and equality for all". According to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, "Ironically, Sarsour's acknowledgment that Israel has a right to exist, her support of a Jewish man, Bernie Sanders, for president and her relationships with politicians like Mayor Bill de Blasio have earned her criticism by some Islamists". In Haaretz, David Schraub wrote that "Linda Sarsour is a lot like Israel" in that "Both have done genuinely objectionable things", while remarking that critics of both Sarsour and Israel tend to "go absolutely wild and lose all sense of perspective and proportion".

After a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri was vandalized in an apparent anti-Semitic incident in February 2017, Sarsour worked with other Muslim activists to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for repair and restoration work. The project generated some controversy when the funds, totaling over $162,000, were not distributed as quickly as some had expected. Among other recipients of funds from the effort was a Colorado Jewish cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sarsour was a co-chairwoman of the 2017 Day Without a Woman strike and protest, organized to mark International Women's Day. During a demonstration outside Trump International Hotel and Tower in Manhattan, she was arrested along with other leaders of the January Women's March, including Bland, Tamika Mallory, and Carmen Perez. She has organized and participated in other acts of civil disobedience in protest of the Trump administration's actions, such as ending the DACA program shielding young immigrants from deportation, the family separation policy for undocumented immigrants, and the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

2017 CUNY commencement speech

When Sarsour was selected to deliver a commencement speech at the City University of New York (CUNY) in June 2017, some American conservatives strongly objected. Dov Hikind, a Democratic Party state assemblyman in New York, sent Governor Andrew Cuomo a letter objecting to the choice, signed by 100 Holocaust survivors. Hikind's objection was based on Sarsour's previously having spoken alongside Rasmea Odeh, who was convicted by an Israeli court for taking part in a bombing that killed two civilians in 1969.

Sarsour maintained that she had nothing to apologize for, saying that questions existed about the integrity of Odeh's conviction. She ascribed the critical reaction to her speech to her prominent role as an organizer for the 2017 Women's March. The university chancellor, the dean of the college, and a group of professors defended her right to speak, as did some Jewish groups, including Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. A group of prominent left-leaning Jews signed an open letter condemning attacks on Sarsour and promising "to alongside her for a more just and equal society". Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League defended Sarsour's First Amendment right to speak despite opposing her views on Israel. A rally in support of Sarsour took place in front of New York's City Hall. Constitutional scholar Fred Smith Jr. tied the controversy to broader disputes over freedom of speech in America.

The controversy may have been intensified by an exchange between Sarsour and a student activist at Dartmouth College that circulated widely on social media. The student had questioned Sarsour about a controversial, deleted tweet referring to Somali-born activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Brigitte Gabriel, leader of the lobbying group ACT! for America. Conservative media outlets emphasized the fact that Sarsour objected to a "white man" raising such a question at the event, which was held to honor Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

The tweet, in which Sarsour wrote of Ali and Gabriel, "She's asking 4 an a$$ whippin'. I wish I could take their vaginas away - they don't deserve to be women", was circulated by Sarsour's critics as apparent proof of her intolerant views. She had debated both women on radio or television and said the dispute centered on Ali's and Gabriel's promotion of the idea that Islam is a misogynistic religion. In response, Ali called Sarsour a "fake feminist" and a "defender of sharia law", and New York Times columnist Bari Weiss criticized Sarsour for making "common cause with anti-feminists".

2019 Women's March

Sarsour has announced that she will lead a 2019 Women's March on Washington.

Notes

  1. The Independent has described Sarsour as "a Palestinian-American Muslim rights campaigner who has spoken in support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) action group". Sarsour told Haaretz, "I am a critic of the State of Israel. I always will be. I have come out in full support of BDS".
  2. Police later determined that the confessed vandal was not motivated by religious hatred.

References

  1. ^ Mitter, Siddhartha (May 9, 2015). "Linda Sarsour's rising profile reflects new generation of Muslim activists". Al Jazeera America. Al Jazeera America. Retrieved January 7, 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  2. ^ Mishkin, Budd (July 26, 2011). "One On 1: Arab American Association Director Finds Time For It All". New York: NY1. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017.
  3. ^ Sales, Ben (May 2, 2017). "Linda Sarsour: Why the Palestinian-American activist is controversial". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  4. ^ Chandler, Michael Alison (February 7, 2017). "March catapults Muslim American into national spotlight and social-media crosshairs". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ Feuer, Alan (August 9, 2015). "Linda Sarsour Is a Brooklyn Homegirl in a Hijab". The New York Times. p. MB1.
  6. Hatem, Yasmina (December 21, 2007). "Arranged marriages 'alive' in Brooklyn". Al Arabiya News.
  7. ^ Hajela, Deepti (January 26, 2017). "Attacks target Muslim-American activist after DC march". The Associated Press.
  8. Harris, Paul (September 5, 2011). "Living with 9/11: the Muslim American". The Guardian.
  9. ^ Rosenberg, Eli (May 26, 2017). "A Muslim-American Activist's Speech Raises Ire Even Before It's Delivered". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  11. Botelho, Greg (March 4, 2015). "New York public schools to have Muslim holidays off". CNN.
  12. Hing, Julianne (October 24, 2014). "Facing Race Spotlight: Palestinian-American Activist Linda Sarsour". Colorlines.
  13. Gjelten, Tom (December 8, 2015). "Some American Muslims Irritated By Obama's Call For Them To 'Root Out' Extremism". NPR.
  14. Rohan, Tim (August 24, 2017). "Colin Kaepernick Supporters Rally Outside NFL Office". Sports Illustrated.
  15. Helm, Angela (August 24, 2017). "#ImWithKap: Hundreds Rally at NFL Headquarters for Colin Kaepernick, Call for Boycott if Demands Not Met". The Root.
  16. "Primary Contest List" (PDF). Board of Elections City of New York. August 31, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  17. "Statement and Return Report by Election District" (PDF). Board of Elections City of New York. September 13, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  18. ^ Nussbaum Cohen, Debra (January 25, 2017). "Why Jewish Leaders Rally Behind a Palestinian-American Women's March Organizer". Haaretz.
  19. Alter, Charlotte (January 20, 2017). "How the Women's March Has United Progressives of All Stripes". Time. New York.
  20. ^ Gee, Taylor (September 2017). "Linda Sarsour: Activist and national co-chair of the Women's March". Politico.
  21. ^ Schmidt, Samantha. "Muslim activist Linda Sarsour's reference to 'jihad' draws conservative wrath". The Washington Post.
  22. ^ Reilly, Katie (May 31, 2017). "Linda Sarsour's CUNY Commencement Address Has Become a Right-Wing Target". Time.
  23. ^ Nazaryan, Alexander (May 24, 2017). "Linda Sarsour, Feminist Movement Leader, Too Extreme for CUNY Graduation Speech, Critics Argue". Newsweek.
  24. Agerholm, Harriet (February 23, 2017). "Pro-Palestinian activist raises $100,000 for vandalised Jewish cemetery". The Independent.
  25. Piggott, Stephen (July 11, 2017). "Islam-Bashers Blast Civil Rights Activist Linda Sarsour, Twisting Her Use of the Word 'Jihad'". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center.
  26. Abrams, Abigail (July 6, 2017). "Linda Sarsour Spoke of 'Jihad.' But She Wasn't Talking About Violence". Time. New York.
  27. Harris-Perry, Melissa (January 19, 2018). "What Women's March Co-Chairs Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez, & Linda Sarsour Are Doing Next". ELLE.
  28. Nazaryan, Alexander (September 2, 2017). "Activist Linda Sarsour Attacked for Trying to Help Hurricane Harvey Victims". Newsweek.
  29. Wang, Frances Kai-Hwa (January 25, 2017). "Orgs, Leaders Show Support for Women's March Co-Organizer With #IMarchWithLinda". NBC News.
  30. "See who is on @TIME's list of the world's most influential people #TIME100". Time. 2017.
  31. Ford, Matt (March 28, 2017). "How Trump's Travel Ban Could Still Be Upheld". The Atlantic.
  32. Hajela, Deepti; Frost, Mary (January 27, 2017). "Brooklyn's Linda Sarsour, Muslim activist, faces more threats after Women's March". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Associated Press.
  33. David Schraub (November 15, 2017). "American Jews, Lay Off Linda Sarsour". Haaretz.
  35. Hanau, Shira (February 23, 2017). "Muslims 'Overjoyed' As $130K In Donations Pour In For Vandalized St. Louis Jewish Cemetery". The Forward.
  36. "Jewish governor of Missouri, Muslim activists pitching in to repair vandalized Jewish cemetery". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 21, 2017.
  37. ^ "Colorado Jewish cemetery receives money from Linda Sarsour's fundraising campaign". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. December 7, 2017.
  38. Solomon, Daniel J. (July 12, 2017). "Controversy Swirls Around Jewish Cemetery Fundraising Push Led By Linda Sarsour". The Forward.
  39. "Linda Sarsour, defending cemetery allocations, lashes out at 'right wing zionists'". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. July 13, 2017.
  40. "Linda Sarsour Blasts 'Alt-right, Right-wing Zionists' Amid Storm Over Jewish Cemetery Funds". Haaretz. July 13, 2017.
  41. ^ Pink, Aiden (December 6, 2017). "Jewish Cemetery Receives $30K From Linda Sarsour's Crowdfunding Campaign". The Forward.
  42. Alter, Charlotte (March 8, 2017). "Women's March Organizers Arrested Outside Trump Hotel". Time.
  43. Chira, Susan; Abrams, Rachel; Rogers, Katie (March 8, 2017). "'Day Without a Woman' Protest Tests a Movement's Staying Power". The New York Times.
  44. Sampathkumar, Mythili (March 6, 2018). "Jewish and Muslim leaders arrested at deportation protest outside Paul Ryan's office". The Independent.
  45. Simon, Caroline; Pitofsky, Marina (June 28, 2018). "'Where are the children?' Women march on Washington in act of 'civil disobedience' to protest family separations". USA Today.
  46. Becker, Amanda (September 7, 2018). "Hundreds arrested in multi-day protests of Supreme Court nominee". Reuters.
  47. Breslow, Jason (September 8, 2018). "The Resistance At The Kavanaugh Hearings: More Than 200 Arrests". NPR.
  48. "Scuffle erupts at rally against CUNY's hosting of BDS promoter Linda Sarsour". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. May 26, 2017.
  49. Nathan-Kazis, Josh (June 1, 2017). "100 Prominent Jewish Leaders Condemn Attacks On Linda Sarsour". The Forward.
  50. Ziri, Danielle (May 26, 2017). "After long silence, ADL defends Linda Sarsour's right to free speech". The Jerusalem Post.
  51. "Right-wing activists protest against Linda Sarsour speech". Middle East Eye. May 27, 2017.
  52. "Ayaan Hirsi Ali says controversial Women's March organizer is a 'fake feminist'". Women in the World, The New York Times. February 2, 2017.
  53. Weiss, Bari (August 1, 2017). "When Progressives Embrace Hate". The New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  54. Saveri, Mihir (September 29, 2018). "Next Women's March Is Set for January, With Main Protest in Washington". New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2018.

Further reading

External links

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