A Lengthy Island Democrat trying to unseat Republican Congressman Anthony D’Esposito has shut ties to an anti-Israel Muslim activist who as soon as accused Israel of constructing a pier with Palestinian corpses.
Laura Gillen — who in 2017 turned the primary Democrat elected as Hempstead city supervisor in additional than a century however has since misplaced a bid to get again into elected workplace — has been chummy with Malik Nadeem Abid since he served on her transition group in her historic native win.
The competition for New York’s fourth district is extensively seen as a toss-up and a must-win for Democrats trying to take again the Home of Representatives subsequent yr.
Abid participated in a studying of the Quran whereas Gillen appeared on throughout her 2018 inauguration and has donated $1,000 to Gillen’s campaigns, in keeping with Federal Election Fee information.
In 2018 Gillen introduced Abid with a quotation for “Decision of Pakistan Day.”
The previous New York chapter president of the American Muslim Voice Basis, Abid has falsely accused Israel of “genocide” and defenders of the Jewish state of holding “satanic perception[s]”.
Abid in March 2024 baselessly mentioned an Israeli pier was “constructed on the lifeless our bodies of harmless Palestinians.”
“Stealing the rubble of their properties to construct pier & a port. The rubble might have stays of 1000’s of Palestinians nonetheless lacking,” he claimed.
In a Might posting he insisted the Islamic State terrorist community was an invention of “intelligence businesses.”
Critics mentioned the affiliation between Gillen, who was raised devoutly Catholic, and Abid was disturbing.
“The Democratic Get together is the social gathering of division and the social gathering of AOC and Bowman, Tlaib, Omar, you title it,” mentioned Nassau GOP state Assemblyman Ari Brown, an Orthodox Jew. “In 1 / 4 of a century, I’ve by no means seen Laura Gillen . . . the Jewish neighborhood means nothing to Laura Gillen, she may care much less.”
Reached by cellphone, Abid advised The Put up that he stood behind all of his previous feedback.
In response to an inquiry about her relationship with Abid, Gillen mentioned “I’ve been clear and constant in my place, the USA should stand in solidarity with Israel in its protection in opposition to all its enemies, together with Iran and help its whole victory over Hamas. Israel has a proper to defend itself from Tehran and its murderous proxies. In Congress, I’ll proceed to help Israel.”
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