WASHINGTON — A campaign calling on American Muslims to oppose President Biden’s re-election bid over his support for Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip includes men accused of spousal abuse and ties to the terrorist group Hamas, as well as to an advocate of spanking as a form of punishment, The Post has learned.
Leaders of the “Leave Biden” movement took the stage at the Hampton Inn on Saturday in Dearborn, Michigan, to criticize the 81-year-old commander in chief for not forcing Israel to stop its incursion in response to the killing of 1,200 people. people, including 33 Americans, on October 7.
Among the group was Hassan Shbly, whose ex-wife Imane Sadrati alleged “violent” physical abuse in a GoFundMe post, leading to Shbly’s resignation as president of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. His alleged misconduct was the subject of an NPR investigation in 2021.
Shibly also faced accusations of abuse from a second woman, Kyla McRoberts, who told NPR that “he stole my self-esteem,” and at one point cut off her ponytail while she slept as punishment for posting a photo of her. without wearing hijab.
Another speaker, Khalid Turaani, was sanctioned by Israel in 2020 for serving as a board member of the IPALESTINE group, which the Israeli government says “belongs to Hamas.” The sanctions prohibited financial transfers to Turaani.
Tom Facchine, another speaker, last month publicly defended caning as a punishment under Islamic law, or sharia, saying it was more humane than prison.
“If I get 70 lashes for something, I walk home to my kids and my wife and that’s it,” Facchine said.
Hassan Shbly’s Ex-Wife Imane Sadrati Alleged “Violent” Physical Abuse in GoFundMe Post
“What happens here if I am a criminal? I’m locked up for years. My children are punished for it. “My wife is punished for it, my family is punished for it,” she continued.
“What system is barbaric again? … sharia is much more merciful, it is much more flexible and it is a much more humane legal system than anything the world has ever seen.”
Another anti-Biden activist, Hazim Nasaredden, wrote on Facebook a day after the October 7 attack, using Hamas code for the assault: “[Operation] Al-Aqsa [S]The storm is the inevitable consequence of Israel’s continued oppression of the free men and women of Gaza, the illegal demolition of homes in Jerusalem, and the relentless attacks on the sanctity of Masjid Al-Aqsa.
“I stand alongside my brothers and sisters who continue to fight for the freedom of all Palestinians and, most importantly, for the liberation of Masjid Al-Aqsa for all Muslims around the world,” he added.
In 2021, Nasaredden tweeted“In free and fair elections [sic] In Palestine, the Resistance Movement (HAMAS) would not only control Gaza, but also the West Bank.”
A pro-Biden Democratic operative noted the extensive personal background of the event’s featured speakers.
Polls indicate there is, in fact, a growing shift away from Biden among Arab and Muslim Americans, but the Democratic operative said the leaders on the scene are not credible political voices.
“Beltway reporters are so eager to turn a protest in someone’s living room into a big deal for Joe Biden that they don’t bother to do just the basic homework, and then a situation like this arises,” he said.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), an outspoken supporter of Israel, added: “The handful of isolated developments we have seen – some of which have unfortunately crossed into the territory of anti-Semitism – are short-sighted and pale in comparison to the work what is being done [by Biden] to bring Americans home.”
Shbly told The Post that he denies the abuse allegations made against him by his ex-wife and McRoberts, stating, “NPR did me dirty.”
“Seeing the response [to the Abandon Biden movement] from those staunch Biden supporters is completely disgusting and it is also hypocritical because Biden himself has accusations against him; You know, there are many out there. But it seems that these accusations are only given weight depending on the person’s political stance,” he added.
Shbly said he considered suing the public radio station, although he did not do so within the two-year time frame normally required by state law.
Shbly also faced allegations of abuse from a second woman, Kyla McRoberts. Michigan/Facebook Community Update
He provided The Post with family court documents showing his ex-wife’s request for a restraining order was denied in March 2021 after she requested the matter be dismissed. The court ruled that there were no grounds in the initial complaint to conclude that Sadrati was in immediate danger.
“The fact that my detractors are trotting out years-old, debunked, defamatory attacks against me, rather than addressing the issue at hand, simply gives them a bad image. This is not about me. And it’s not about the messenger,” Shively added.
“What’s relevant is that, every day, Israel blows up 175 Palestinian children with American weapons.”
Sadrati could not immediately be reached for comment. Her 2020 GoFundMe campaign, alleging abuse, raised more than $34,000. In a Nov. 8 Facebook post, she wrote that she and Shbly have “moved on.”[d] overcome our differences and co-parent our children (now teenagers)… in the way possible in the past.”
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel.
In apparent reference to the Gaza conflict, he wrote that “what is happening in this world” is “a sign that we need to renew our faith and seek forgiveness from those we may have hurt.”
Shbly also provided a recorded conversation she said was with McRoberts, who was incarcerated in Kentucky at the time, in which she said, “I’m sorry for what happened” when he asked her why she was “lying about me.”
The Post contacted a relative of Turaani and agreed to pass along a request for comment. The Post was unable to locate Facchine or Nasaredden.
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Although some of the leaders of the anti-Biden activist group are plagued by scandal, there is reason for the White House to worry about the impact on Muslim and Arab voters, particularly in swing states like Michigan.
Pollster John Zogby told The Post that polls show trouble ahead for Biden, who narrowly defeated then-President Donald Trump in critical swing states in the last election.
“Arab and Muslim Americans came into the Democratic Party in force,” Zogby said. “So this is a dramatic change for both groups.”
An October national poll by Zogby found that Arab voters were abandoning Biden in droves, although most are not expected to back Trump, who imposed strict travel restrictions on some Middle Eastern countries at the start of his administration.
Only 17% of Arab Americans surveyed said they planned to vote for Biden in 2024, compared to 59% who said they would support him in 2020.
Zogby said about two-thirds of the more than 2 million Arab Americans are Christians whose families immigrated from the Palestinian territories and countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
Prominent American Christians of Palestinian descent include former Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), who revealed in October that several young relatives of his were among the dead after Israel bombed a building adjacent to a historic Gaza church where they took refuge
There is partial overlap between Arab and Muslim Americans, but most of the approximately 3.5 million American Muslims are from South Asia, Iran and other countries, or are American converts.
A Michigan state poll measuring combined support for Biden among Arabs and Muslims found in November that Biden would get just 16% of the cohort’s votes.
“The sense [among Arab and Muslim voters] “It’s that the Biden administration went too far this time in embracing Israel,” Zogby said, adding that anti-Biden sentiment on the war “was not a fringe point of view.”
Asked if the president could get voters back on his side, Zogby said: “I can’t predict it, but I don’t see how.
“Given the charged sentiment right now, it’s hard for me to imagine, ‘Oh, well, you know, that was back then, but I like him on the other tracks.’ I do not think.”
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