Selection of Israel critic for US delegation to human rights forum raises concern
An outspoken critic of Israel who once said the Jewish state should be added to the list of 9/11 terror suspects was recently selected by the Obama administration to participate in an international forum on human rights -- sparking outcry from watchdog groups.
The participant, Muslim Public Affairs Council founder Salam al-Marayati, was tapped to be part of the U.S. delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe forum in Poland.
The State Department defended the selection. Christopher Midura, a spokesman with the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, said: “Mr. al-Marayati has been involved in U.S. government initiatives for almost 10 years and has been a valued and highly credible interlocutor on issues affecting Muslim communities. He was invited to participate in this year’s (event) as a reflection of the wide diversity of backgrounds of the American people.”
I think it was a terrible idea,” said Frank Gaffney, founder of the Washington-based Center for Security Policy. “And it’s not just an isolated incident.”
The Investigative Project on Terrorism also recently completed a one-year study that concluded “known radical Islamists made hundreds of visits to the Obama White House.” Among the visitors was al-Marayati, whom the logs show has visited the White House at least seven times.
Al-Marayati, who rejects the “radical” label, has been a sharp critic of how Israel and the United States act and interact.
“The United States has done a lot of dirty work that has served the interests of Israel," al-Marayati said in January. "It destroyed Iraq. It supported the destruction and crippling of Egypt. It has crippled the Gulf. And now, it is looking to Iran as the next target for crippling and destroying. Who is driving our foreign policy -‑ President Obama or Prime Minister Netanyahu?"
Two years earlier, after authorities disrupted a plot to bomb synagogues and fire missiles at U.S. military aircraft, al-Marayati told Fox News the defendants were either “petty criminals or gullible people who were guilty of stupidity. They were not imminent threats.”
The four men in the plot were convicted and sentenced to 25-year prison terms.
Perhaps most controversial was al-Marayati’s comments after the 2001 terror attacks.
On the day of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, al-Marayati said on a Los Angeles radio show: “If we’re going to look at suspects, we should look to the groups that benefit the most from these kinds of incidents
Selection of Israel critic for US delegation to human rights forum raises concern | Fox News
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