Latest news with #PalestinianAmerican
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Marjorie Taylor Greene calls crisis in Gaza ‘genocide,' first Republican lawmaker to do so
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has said that a 'genocide' is taking place in Gaza, making her the first Republican in the US Congress to use the term to describe the humanitarian crisis unfolding there. In a social media post on Monday evening, Greene wrote: 'It's the most truthful and easiest thing to say that October. 7 in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,'. Her comments reflect a growing shift in tone among some Republicans, and stand in contrast to the position of most of her party, which has consistently supported Israel since the conflict began. Over the past several weeks, Greene has gradually increased her criticism of how the war is being handled. Earlier this month, she said Israel had bombed a Catholic church in Gaza and that the area's population was being wiped out. She had also tried to remove $500 million in US military aid to Israel from the annual defence spending bill. That proposal failed, with only six members of Congress supporting it two Republicans and four Democrats, including Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian American in Congress. Greene had previously clashed with Tlaib over Gaza. Two years ago, she led a failed effort to censure the Democrat for comments made at a pro-Palestinian rally, accusing her of antisemitism and support for terrorism. Greene's comments this week were also a direct response to remarks made by Florida Republican Randy Fine. In a social media post last week, Fine dismissed images of starving children in Gaza as 'Muslim terror propaganda' and wrote: 'Release the hostages… until then, starve away.' Fine, a first-term lawmaker and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has defended Israel's military actions and framed criticism of its operations as unfair. Greene rejected that position. On Sunday, she said in a post that she could 'unequivocally say' that the killings in Israel on 7 October were horrific 'just as I can unequivocally say that what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific.' I can unequivocally say that what happened to innocent people in Israel on Oct 7th was horrific. Just as I can unequivocally say that what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific. This war and humanitarian crisis must end! — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) July 27, 2025 President Donald Trump, who was in Scotland on Monday to open a new golf course, also spoke about the crisis. He said he believed there was real starvation in Gaza and called for more aid. 'That's real starvation stuff I see it, and you can't fake that,' Trump said after meetings with European leaders. 'We have to get the kids fed,'. Though Greene made her recent comments before Trump's remarks, others in the pro-Trump faction of the Republican Party have since echoed similar concerns about the need to protect civilians. (With inputs from The New York Times)
CBC
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Mo Amer unpacks the pressure of being a Palestinian American comedian
Social Sharing Mo Amer should feel on top of the world right now. His semi-autobiographical TV series Mo is one of Netflix's most celebrated comedy dramas, and he's currently on a massive stand-up tour, with one stop in Toronto next week. But in an interview with Q 's Tom Power, Amer says his success is tempered by a pretty significant internal conflict. As a Palestinian American comedian with a major platform, he's had to think deeply about how to address the ongoing war in Gaza, particularly as he wrapped up writing Season 2 of Mo in late 2023. "I thought it would be a happy time — this is the worst time," Amer tells Power. "I'm the only Palestinian in the game. Everybody's coming at me left and right: 'What are you going to say? What are you going to do?' … [I'm] walking such an insane tightrope to fulfill this kind of show." WATCH | Mo Amer's full interview with Tom Power: For the latest season of Mo, Amer opted out of talking about the events on Oct. 7 by setting the finale to end on Oct. 6, 2023. "It's pressure from everything," he says. "From either side. It's not just the Palestinian side. It's easy for me to be Palestinian because I'm Palestinian. It's easy to tell a Palestinian story because I'm Palestinian. Now, you have to factor in, [does] the show exist in a post-October 7th world? And every time I explored that, it was like a death blow to the whole show…. So I refused. I said no." [I'm] walking such an insane tightrope. - Mo Amer Though Amer has gone to great lengths to make his work feel sincere, grounded and never inflammatory, he says walking that tightrope still feels "extremely dangerous" at times. "I'm Palestinian making a TV show in Hollywood," he tells Power. "What I did is very, very difficult to do. It's a story not just about Palestinians, but also it's an immigration story, it's Latinos, it's Houston, it's all these layers that you have to unpackage. You got to be careful how you put that story together." WATCH | Official trailer for Season 2 of Mo: But despite the increased pressure and scrutiny he's facing, Amer says it's all been worth it. After his stand-up shows, he's had emotional conversations with people of all different ages and backgrounds, some of whom are refugees who fled Gaza. "I'm talking to doctors that were on the ground in Gaza," he says. "I've met kids — amputee children — I've held them in my own arms. They've come to see my show and tell me they watched the show in Gaza. That is as rewarding as it gets…. So those are the kind of conversations I'm having. Everybody's like, 'Oh, you must be having a blast touring!' Don't get me wrong, being on stage is the best rest I get. Being on the actual stage is the best time that I have. Everything after that is just a ton of pain in the heart."
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Landlord imprisoned for decades in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American family has died
A landlord sentenced to decades in prison after he killed a Palestinian American boy and wounded his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier. Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to a statement from the Will County Sheriff's Office. Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that 'this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.' Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba's home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack happened. Central to prosecutors' case was harrowing testimony from the boy's mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier. Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives. The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Who was Joseph Czuba? Landlord who killed 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy in hate crime dies in Illinois prison
Joseph Czuba, a landlord who was serving a 53-year prison sentence for killing a Palestinian American boy and stabbing his mother, has died in custody. Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder, and hate crime charges for an attack that killed 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi(AP) He died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office, according to New York post report. Who was Joseph Czuba ? Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder, and hate crime charges for an attack that killed 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and injured his mother, Hanan Shaheen in October 2023. Prosecutors said Czuba targeted the family because they were Muslim and that he was upset over the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which had broken out just days earlier. The family was renting rooms in Czuba's Plainfield home, about 40 miles from Chicago, at the time of the attack. Evidence in the trial included Shaheen's 911 call, her testimony, police video, and crime scene photos. She told jurors that Czuba came after her first, then turned on her son, yelling that they had to leave because they were Muslim. Joseph Czuba stabbed the boy 26 times Czuba's ex-wife, Mary, testified that he had become increasingly angry about the war. Police said he pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed Wadee 26 times, leaving the knife in the boy's body. Some of the crime scene images were so graphic the judge turned the courtroom screens away from the audience, which included Wadee's family members. Jurors took less than 90 minutes to reach a verdict. Ahmed Rehab, executive director of CAIR's Chicago office, said in a statement, 'This depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.' Also Read: Mother of Palestinian American boy slain in suburban Chicago hate crime testifies at trial The murder shocked Plainfield and nearby suburbs, where many Palestinian families live. Wadee's funeral was heavily attended, and the town has since named a playground in his honor.
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Epoch Times
Landlord Imprisoned for Hate Crime Against Palestinian-American Family Has Died
JOLIET, Ill.—A landlord sentenced to decades in prison after he killed a Palestinian American boy and wounded his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen.
