Washington DC: A network of about 1,500 organizations spread antisemitic propaganda and, radicalize Muslim youth in the US, noted journalist and author Asra Nomani revealed in her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
The Senate Judiciary Committee convened for a full committee hearing titled โNever To Be Silent: Stemming the Tide of Antisemitism in Americaโ was chaired by Chairman Chuck Grassley (Republican Senator from Iowa). Senators on the committee examined potential legislative and policy solutions to combat the growing threat of antisemitic sentiments across the country.
In an evocative testimony, Nomani recounted the murder of her friend and Wall Street Journal colleague, Daniel Pearl, by terrorists who saw his Jewish identity, American citizenship, and Israeli roots as a crime, highlighting how the same hatred persists today. She pointed to examples of recent antisemitic acts in the U.S., including the โHAMAS IS COMINGโ graffiti in Washington D.C., and plots against Jewish targets.
Sharing her findings from her 22-year investigation, Nomani revealed dangerous ideological networks that promote hate, fund it, and spread it in the US. She identified groups like The ANSWER Coalition, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Samidoun, Code Pink, The Peopleโs Forum, Council on American-Islamic Relations, American Muslims for Palestine, and Students for Justice in Palestine. She urged the committee to name, expose, and dismantle these networks. She recommended the end of the abuse of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status for organizations that foment social discord and act as foreign proxies, enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), recognition of proxy organizations of the Muslim Brotherhood as a national security threat, full transparency and real-time tracking of antisemitic networks, prosecution of lawbreakers who incite violence and stoke hate.
Adela Cojab, National Jewish Advocacy Center Fellow shared personal experiences of antisemitism as a student at New York University, which led her to file a Title VI complaint. Alyza Lewin (President, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law) highlighted the legal challenges Jewish students face on campuses and the need for robust enforcement of civil rights protections. Kevin Rachlin (Washington Director, Nexus Leadership Project), criticized recent federal policies targeting pro-Palestinian protests as divisive and counterproductive. Meirav Solomon (Jewish Student Leader at Tufts University) described the challenges Jewish students face due to increasing hostility on campuses. She opposed policies that eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, arguing they are essential for Holocaust education and combating hate.
The hearing underscored bipartisan concerns about rising antisemitism while reflecting differing views on how best to address it without infringing on civil liberties.
