CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad To Muslim Activists: Do Not Undermine The Palestinian Cause, Serve The Enemy, By Working With 'Zionist', Islamophobic ADL, AIPAC, American Jewish Committee (AJC); We Have Worked Hard But See No Policy Changes; The Candidates Of The Two-'Corrupt'-Party System Are Not Good For Justice In Palestine, But We Are Open To Negotiations; BDS Is As American As Apple Pie

Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), addressed the 61st annual conference of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) on August 30, 2024, stressing that the American Muslim community must vote in the November elections. He said that the Muslim community must "vote together" and that they have "many choices" beyond the "two-corrupt-party-system." Awad added that while Republican and Democratic candidates are not the community's choice in this election cycle, the community is open to negotiations.

He also cautioned against collaboration with "Zionist organizations" such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Awad said that visits to Israel, which he referred to as "occupied Palestine" through such organizations, in order to learn about the connection between Zionism and the land, only serves "the enemy."

Nihad Awad: "Be aware of the political tactics that the Zionist organizations have been working within the Muslim community and the Muslim leadership. I will be frank and open. In your activism, do not undermine the Palestine cause.

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"Do not work with Zionist organizations like the ADL, AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee, and others. These are Zionist Islamophobic anti-Palestinian organizations, they have no desire to see Palestine free. If you work with them, if you put your hands in their hands, they are co-opting you—willingly or unwillingly. Visiting Palestine on the dime of Zionist organizations to 'teach you' about the connection of Zionism to the land of Palestine, you are not doing justice to the Palestinians, you are serving the enemy.

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"Be part of the BDS—boycott, divest, and sanctions—this is as American as apple pie.

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"We have to vote in November, don't stay at home. We have done too much, for the past ten months and many years, to bring out voices to be heard, and they have been heard. We have not seen policy changes, but you do the other side a huge service when you sit home. We have to vote, and we have to vote together—and we have many choices. The two-corrupt-party-system may not be our choice this year, but we are open for negotiations. We have not seen anything that will sway us to believe that any of these 'viable' two-party system candidates are good for justice for Palestine."