Democratic Rep. Summer Lee reversed course Tuesday, scrapping plans to attend an annual fundraising banquet sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations following backlash over antisemitic remarks by other would-be speakers — including disparaging of Israelis as “demons” and Zionists as adherents of a “sadistic cult.”
Lee (D-Pa.) said in a statement that she had wanted to join the event hosted by CAIR Philadelphia due to rising “anti-Muslim hate and violence,” but felt compelled to pull out following the controversy
“I do not condone or endorse any of the other speakers’ previous comments. I have and continue to condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, and transphobia everywhere it arises,” she said in a statement.
“To prevent the Muslim community from being the target of any more politically-motivated Islamophobia and to ensure my Jewish and LGBTQ+ constituents know their concerns are heard, I will not be attending this event any longer,” she added.
Last year, CAIR executive director Nihad Awad said he was “happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land” after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack that killed an estimated 1,200 people across southern Israel.
His remarks drew fierce backlash, including from the White House, with spokesman Andrew Bates saying at the time, “We condemn these shocking, Antisemitic statements in the strongest terms.”
On Monday, Jewish Insider flagged past remarks from multiple scheduled speakers at the banquet –including author Ibrahim Jaaber, who described Israelis as “demons;” comedian Nadirah Pierre, who said, “May Allah destroy them even worse than they have tried to destroy others” after the Oct. 7 attack; and scholar Yasir Fahmy, who called Zionism a “sick, sadistic cult.”
Criticism of Lee’s planned attendance was led by a spokesperson for Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who said “hateful, antisemitic rhetoric cannot be tolerated — and it should be condemned, not elevated by our political leaders.”
Edgewood Borough Councilwoman Bhavini Patel, who is mounting a Democratic primary challenge against Lee, also slammed her.
“Summer Lee needs to cancel this appearance and apologize for agreeing to share a stage with them in the first place,” Patel wrote on X.
Republican Senate hopeful Dave McCormick went a step further, calling on Lee to quit Congress.
“Today I am asking [Democratic Sen.] Bob Casey to join me in calling for the immediate resignation of Summer Lee,” he posted on X Monday
“Pittsburgh’s Jewish community deserves a real leader with the moral clarity to stand up against Hamas’ atrocities as well as the antisemitism taking place across the country.”
Lee is the first black woman elected to serve Pennsylvania in Congress and is often counted among the “Squad” of harcore House progressives.
She has been critical of Israel’s war against Hamas following Oct. 7.
CAIR did not immediately return a request for comment from The Post.
Prior to Lee’s cancelation, CAIR defended the lawmaker and characterized the criticisms of its speakers as “disingenuous,” with Philadelphia chapter executive director Dr. Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu saying in a statement Monday that “media pieces that take our leaders and speakers’ comments out of context are being exploited by ill-intentioned circles.”
