After previously promoting the falsehood that Israel is an “apartheid state,” Abrar Omeish recently stated, “Iwo Jima unfortunately happened and set a record for really what, I hate to say, human evil is capable of.”
By United with Israel Staff
A 28-year-old Virginia school board member named Abrar Omeish recently characterized the U.S.’ triumph in a key World War II battle as “unfortunate” and “evil.”
According to a report by the Washington Free Beacon, Omeish made the comments during an event to mark the Day of Remembrance, which commemorates the tragedy of Japanese-Americans who were forced into internment camps in the U.S. during World War II.
The Day of Remembrance is observed on the date the U.S. launched the Battle of Iwo Jima, when American forces captured the island from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), which was aligned with Nazi Germany during World War II.
In a video posted to Twittter, Omeish stated, “Just a few days ago was Japanese Day of Remembrance. Something for us to certainly reflect on … the days when, you know, Iwo Jima unfortunately happened and set a record for really what, I hate to say, human evil is capable of.”
At the end of the clip, Omeish appeared to reference Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Here’s video of the above quoted (mis?)statement from Ms. Omeish. pic.twitter.com/D05eJfuVAH
— Fairfax County Parents Association (@FFXParentsAssoc) February 24, 2023
When the Free Beacon asked Omeish to clarify her comments about Iwo Jima she emailed the following statement to the news site: “There is no reason to warp what was said and reading more into it merely reflects biases forced in by the listener.”
The Free Beacon added, “She did not explain why in her comments at the meeting she said Iwo Jima was evil and ‘unfortunately happened.’”
In 2021, the Free Beacon reported on Omeish’s anti-Israel social media posts, which included promoting the falsehood that Israel is an “apartheid” and accusing it of “kill[ing] Palestinians.”
“Hurts my heart to celebrate [Ramadan] while Israel kills Palestinians & desecrates the Holy Land right now,” she posted. “Apartheid & colonization were wrong yesterday and will be today, here and there. May justice + truth prevail.”
Parents in Omeish’s district were appalled. One parent responded, “Not only is [the post] filled with lies, inaccuracies and antisemitic tropes, it fuels the flame of Jewish hate that is a problem in our country. Ms. Omeish needs to resign from her job as a school board member now that she has shown her true feelings. … There should be no tolerance of public people using their platforms to spew ignorance, lies, and hate.”
Another parent added, “You can celebrate your religious holidays and faith without the racist opinions, especially on your public campaign/School Board FB Page. You just alienated all of your Jewish constituents and children in [Fairfax County school district].”
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