The Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), an organization previously headed by the controversial activist Linda Sarsour, has been the recipient of a substantial $4.
1 million in city and state funds over a seven-year period, according to public records.
Sarsour, known for her anti-Semitic views, is a close associate of the newly elected mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani.
The AAANY, under Sarsour's leadership from 2005 to 2017, received over $3.3 million from New York City and an additional $854,000 from the state of New York. According to The Washington Free Beacon, the state-level funding was primarily sourced from the New York State Department of State, with a minor portion of $20,000 disbursed from the Office of Children and Family Services.
The city-level funding, however, lacks clarity regarding its origin. A watchdog group, OpenTheBooks, discovered a $60,000 payment from the Department of Small Business Services, but the remaining funds were not attributed to any specific agency.
The revelation of AAANY's public funding has raised eyebrows, particularly in light of Sarsour's recent comments about Mamdani's campaign. Questions have been raised about whether the mayor-elect will continue to funnel municipal funds to Sarsour's former organization.
Both Mamdani and New York governor Kathy Hochul have remained silent on the matter, failing to respond to inquiries about their future funding plans for the AAANY.
The anti-Semitism watchdog group, Canary Mission, recently released a video featuring Sarsour boasting about a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) backed PAC being Mamdani's largest financial supporter. This news was initially reported by the Free Beacon in June. CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, made headlines in late 2023 after expressing his happiness about a Hamas attack against Israel on October 7.
Sarsour, capitalizing on Mamdani's mayoral victory, declared her intention to oust pro-Israel Democrats from power. "You do the right thing, you keep your job," she stated at a conference in Puerto Rico. "You don't do the right thing, you don't keep your job. There are some people that will do the right thing for the wrong reasons, but we don't care why you do the right thing as long as you do the right thing. If you do it because you think you're getting primaried, that's okay with us. People are saying 'free Palestine' because now they're getting primaried. Free Palestine."
Although Sarsour no longer heads the AAANY, her successor, Marwa Janini, is equally radical. Janini, a former Students for Justice in Palestine activist, signed a petition in 2021 advocating for global boycotts of Israel.
The AAANY, under Janini's leadership, lobbied for Mamdani's "Not on Our Dime" legislation, which aimed to prohibit New York-based nonprofits from "engaging in unauthorized support for Israeli settlement activity." Mamdani has yet to clarify whether "unauthorized support" includes humanitarian aid for Israelis in the West Bank.
The AAANY also supported a "Flood Brooklyn for Palestine" protest shortly after October 7. The demonstration quickly escalated into a riot, with activists blocking roads, setting fires, and hurling eggs at police officers. The New York Police Department confirmed that approximately two dozen of the 5,000 protesters were taken into custody.
Sarsour and Mamdani have a long-standing relationship, having first met while working on Khader El-Yateems unsuccessful 2017 city council race. Sarsour made a maximum donation to Mamdani's mayoral campaign and has referred to him as her "favorite guy." However, she has also vowed to hold him accountable as mayor, stating she won't let him "do whatever the hell he wants when he gets to City Hall."
Sarsour's history of radical anti-Israel activism and anti-Semitism is well-documented. She has likened Zionism to "white supremacy in America" and questioned Israel's right to exist. Her role as the lead organizer of the 2017 Women's March brought her national attention, but her support for notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan and convicted terrorist Rasmea Odeh sparked controversy. She has also led calls for a global boycott of the Jewish state, asserting, "One cannot be a feminist and a Zionist at the same time."
Sarsour's radical views eventually led the founder of the Women's March to call for her resignation, accusing her of allowing "anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform."
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