Spokane City Council’s Pro-Israel Resolution Draws Concern from Local Muslim Leader
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By Tracy Simmons | FāVS News
On Monday the Spokane City Council voted unanimously to condemn the attacks on Israel after Councilman Jonathan Bingle, who introduced the resolution, said he spoke with local Jews.
Not all agree that it was the right move.
Naghmana Sherazi, a Muslim who twice ran for City Council, said she’s worried it will cause a rise in Islamophobia.
“It’s undoing everything I’ve been fighting for these past 11 years,” she said. “Bingle’s resolution was introduced in such a rush, and at such short notice, there didn’t seem to have been much community input — it was not inclusive despite naming both sides. It is a one-sided resolution, and I would have liked time till the next council meeting to draft a resolution that helps promote peace rather than one that is devoid of critical context and could add fuel to the violence and bloodshed. I am of course, horrified by the massacre and condemn the brutal loss of lives and kidnapping of Israelis.”
However, she said in her roles with Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom and Muslims for Community Action Support, she’s calling for a resolution that notes that value of all people living in the Holy Land.
“It would be a great gesture of solidarity if we can re-draft a more inclusive resolution,” she said, adding that she is willing to help the Council with this task.
The resolution passed by the Council reads that the City of Spokane, “values peace, justice and the well-being of all its residents and recognizes the significance international conflicts have on a local scale.”
At the City Council meeting Bingle said, “Recognizing the impacts international conflicts have on our community members is important. As I’ve spoken to Spokanites affected by these acts of aggression, I’ve heard of several sleepless nights and fears for the safety of family members and loved ones.”
The resolution notes that a number of Spokanites have close ties to Israel and thus the attacks by Hamas have caused “great suffering” on residents.
Sherazi says Palestinians are also suffering from the attacks by Hamas and wishes the council had addressed this in more detail. In Palestine, she said, Muslims live along with Christians.
“It is a conflict that is older than us, and extremely complex. I would like there to be a political solution [rather] than a military one. War does not benefit anyone. We, as Americans bear a fiduciary responsibility, and must not forget the part that plays as a whole,” she said.
The resolution does give a nod to Spokane having residents of Palestinian descent saying, “advancing inclusion and belonging for people of all races, national origins, and ethnicities is critical to guaranteeing the safety and security of all residents of Spokane.”
However, Sherazi said she wishes the council would have talked to more people before making a pro-Israel resolution, particularly with Muslims.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, has reported that it’s tracking hundreds of social media posts that have promoted racist and violent rhetoric in recent days and on the East Coast there are reports of Muslim students being harassed.
Jews too are seeing an uptick in threats. Axios reported this week that the war has police across the U.S. on alert for hate crimes. Synagogues in Utah have received bomb threats and synagogues in Seattle have stepped up security.
Chabad of Spokane will host a Pro-Israel Rally on Sunday at 4 p.m., calling residents to show up and “Stand against terror.”
