Philly NAACP President Faces Backlash After Anti-Semitic Facebook Post

The following is an article that I wrote for the Philadelphia Jewish Link on July 29, 2020 about an anti-Semitic Facebook post by Rodney Muhammad, the president of the Philadelphia NAACP, which caused an immediate controversy and has civic leaders and elected officials calling for his resignation:

Philly NAACP President Faces Backlash After Anti-Semitic Facebook Post

When Minister Rodney Muhammad, the President of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), posted an anti-Semitic meme on his Facebook page on Thursday, July 23rd, it immediately ignited a widespread controversy.

The response was swift, as an array of Jewish organizations and elected officials promptly weighed in on what transpired, with some demanding an apology, and others calling for Muhammad’s resignation or termination from his position at the NAACP.

The image, which Muhammad deleted after he was contacted by a reporter, contained photos of three celebrities who recently found themselves mired in their own controversies following anti-Semitic posts on social media and anti-Semitic rhetoric – the rapper and actor Ice Cube, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, and TV host, producer, and actor Nick Cannon. Beneath the photos was a cartoon that depicted a Jewish man wearing a kippah pressing down on a group of people with a large, ring adorned hand. To the left of the offensive image was a quote that was attributed to the French philosopher Voltaire, but which is actually ascribed to Kevin Strom, a white supremacist and neo-Nazi who is a known Holocaust denier. “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize,” the quote said.

Muhammad, who took the reins of the NAACP’s Philadelphia chapter in 2014, is a staunch supporter and devout follower of Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, having served as Chief Financial Officer for the Nation of Islam’s National Mosque in Chicago, and currently acting as the Minister of the Nation of Islam’s Muhammad Mosque #12 in Philadelphia. Farrakhan, who Muhammad praises regularly, has a long history of railing against Jews and making vehemently anti-Semitic comments, including referring to Jews as “bloodsuckers” and “termites.”

WHYY, a local PBS affiliate, reported that Muhammad initially maintained he did not remember posting the meme when a reporter asked him about it, but that he ultimately conceded that he posted the image and noted that he did not realize it was anti-Semitic. “To be real honest with you, I didn’t even pay attention to the picture,” Muhammad said, while neglecting to apologize.

Muhammad’s recent post was not the first time he has exhibited shades of anti-Semitism. For example, he made several disturbing comments in a July 2008 article on CNSNews.com, in which he employed the anti-Semitic accusation of dual loyalty against then-Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew who was selected by Al Gore to be his running mate. In addressing a question raised by Louis Farrakhan about whether Lieberman would be more loyal to the state of Israel than to the United States, Muhammad made comments that were equally as repugnant as Farrakhan’s remarks and smacked of anti-Semitism.

Claiming that Farrakhan’s past statements about the Jewish people were frequently misconstrued, Muhammad also validated Farrakhan’s dual loyalty charge. “Given America’s unwavering support for Israel, despite what administration is in, Minister Farrakhan questioned if Lieberman would have more loyalty to Israel than to the Constitution of the United States,”  Muhammad was quoted as saying.

Muhammad reportedly also endorsed Farrakhan’s history of making divisive comments about Jews. “The comments Minister Farrakhan has made, many have felt the same way but feared that cry of anti-Semitism would come out,” he said. “Mr. Farrakhan has withstood the torpedoes of this anti-Semitic cry and has thrived and continued to make progress.”

In a strongly worded statement on July 24th, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said that Muhammad “intentionally initiated the spread of anti-Semitism on his Facebook page” and called for him to be fired from his post as President of the NAACP’s Philadelphia chapter.

“This vile behavior from a civic leader is incredibly dangerous for Jewish communities across the world,” the statement said. “The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia deplores Mr. Muhammad’s actions, and calls on the NAACP to remove him from his position immediately. Hate speech and the repulsive, purposeful spread of anti-Semitic imagery and messages can never be tolerated. It is important, now more than ever, for Jewish and Black communities to unite and work together to combat racism and bigotry in all their forms.”

On July 27th, Muhammad issued a written statement addressing his controversial Facebook post. “Earlier this week, I shared a post on social media in an attempt to start a dialogue around criticism and understanding,” the statement said. “I later learned that not only was the quote I used misattributed to the philosopher Francois Voltaire, but in fact, the quote and image had been used previously by white supremacists. I immediately removed both the quote and the offensive images. It was never my intention to offend anyone or cause any hurt. The NAACP strongly condemns any offensive language or imagery and stands against all forms of hate speech and anti-Semitism. I stand with all members of the Jewish faith in the fight for social justice, and I intend to use this opportunity for thoughtful conversations with both the Black and Jewish communities.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia took umbrage with Muhammad’s statement, noting that it lacked an apology that was clearly warranted under the circumstances.

“Mr. Muhammad’s statement regarding his anti-Semitic Facebook post is utterly insufficient,” the Jewish Federation said in a second statement issued on July 28th. “Given the chance to apologize for his actions, he declined to do so. It is clear that Mr. Muhammad has no remorse for the pain he caused our Jewish community and all those who stand opposed to bigotry and discrimination. However, we will not allow this incident to prevent us from continuing our work to unite Philadelphia’s Black and Jewish communities in our common pursuit of racial equality and religious tolerance and understanding.”

On July 28th, the Jewish Federation convened a press conference via Zoom with Black political and civic leaders, together with representatives of the Jewish community, to discuss the anti-Semitic meme posted by Muhammad, and to engage in a dialogue about the need for a strong response to this serious matter.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also condemned the incident. “We denounce the antisemitic meme posted by Rodney Muhammad in the strongest possible terms,” said Shira J. Goodman, the ADL’s Philadelphia Regional Director. “It is inconceivable that a person who theoretically works to uphold civil rights would engage in such blatant hate. To defend the antisemitic rhetoric of others is bad enough, but to post virulently anti-Jewish symbols and conspiracy theories is simply unacceptable.”

Abraham Foxman, the Director Emeritus of the ADL, tweeted, “The anti-Semitic Facebook post by Philadelphia NAACP President Rodney Muhammad is vile and reprehensible. His excuse and explanations are insulting. Where is the outrage of the NAACP?”

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and its Greater Philadelphia Chapter called for the NAACP to remove Muhammad as its President, saying in a statement that, “his Facebook timeline has been laced with examples of vile Jew-hatred, false accusations against the Jewish People, and endorsements of leading anti-Jewish figures and their speeches.”

“Farrakhan and others who Rodney Muhammad promotes disseminate inflammatory and false conspiracy theories and try to delegitimize the Jewish People’s very identity and to call into question the Jewish religion and ethnicity – Jews’ very sense of peoplehood,” said the ZOA.

“Antisemitism is a form of racism that is all too prevalent in our society today,” the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation said in a written statement. “Rodney Muhammad’s post mirrored this bigoted ideology, portraying Jews as having a sinister influence in public matters and leading a coordinated effort to oppress others to benefit themselves. It is time to put an end to this conspiracy theory, which is both hateful and damaging.”

“The NAACP and our organization, the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, share many core values: the dismantling of needless prejudice and the promotion of tolerance,” the statement continued. “Both of our communities have been victims of prejudice and persecution for far too long. Mr. Muhammad, and all of those perpetuating antisemitic beliefs, must be held accountable for deliberately spreading imagery that violates his organization’s own mission and only serves as a distraction from the critically important racial justice movement. We therefore encourage NAACP to install leadership that will bring our communities together rather than divide us.”

Although several requests from the Philadelphia Jewish Link to the NAACP’s national office for a comment went unanswered, Kenneth Huston, the President of the NAACP’s Pennsylvania state chapter, condemned Muhammad’s Facebook post, although he noted that it is the national office, not the state office, that administers the local municipal NAACP chapters. Huston, who participated in the Jewish Federation’s press conference, said that, “the vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination…Make no mistake about it. The NAACP Pennsylvania State conference directly does not support any kind of hateful names or anything of that nature at all.”

Rev. Cornell William Brooks, a former President and CEO of the NAACP who is a civil rights attorney and a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, took to Twitter in the aftermath of Muhammad’s post to express his displeasure and dismay.

“To be clear, I oppose all forms of #Antisemitism – as caricature, as  trope, as hate crime, as policy, and as the oldest form of hate…This #Antisemitic cartoon of #Jews  is the moral equivalent of the #racist film Birth of a Nation – same message: Jews, like Blacks, must be feared, & justifiably hated…WHY, when #racism and #Antisemitism are infecting hearts and minds like #Covid_19 , is this digital trash of a meme being circulated?”

While civic leaders and civil rights activists expressed their outrage at Muhammad’s post, political leaders denounced it as well, with some calling for his resignation.

“The anti-Semitic meme shared by Philadelphia NAACP president Minister Rodney Muhammad is vile,” Governor Tom Wolf wrote on Twitter. “Sharing this type of racist content is unacceptable – especially from a civic leader. I’m joining the call for Minister Muhammad to resign. Hate has no place in Pennsylvania.”

“As soon I learned about Rodney Muhammad’s post I reached out to him directly to understand what happened and ask for a sincere apology,” wrote Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “His response to me was offensive and we are all still waiting for that apology. He has undermined the progress we need to make together to combat anti-semitism and structural racism that has been baked into our society through generations. That is just one reason why I join so many Black leaders in calling on Rodney Muhammad to resign as President of the Philadelphia NAACP. The NAACP is a crucial civil rights organization that deserves better than Rodney Muhammad.”

“I share the outrage of Philadelphia’s Jewish community to this offensive message, and I am extremely disappointed that Minister Muhammad saw fit to post it,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in an emailed statement to the Philadelphia Jewish Link. “It perpetuates vile anti-Semitic rhetoric, and it compounds the hurt caused by DeSean Jackson’s earlier post, for which Jackson has appropriately apologized. Our city and nation need healing and unity now, not the sort of division and hatred that this post creates. I call on Minister Muhammad to apologize to our Jewish community and to all those who fight every day for religious and racial tolerance. I know Minister Muhammad to be a bridge builder, and I hope he is up to the task of rebuilding the bridges that his unfortunate post has now damaged.”

Mayor Kenney’s statement is noteworthy, in that it appears to indicate a significant shift in his relationship with Muhammad, which is pecuniary in nature. From 2017-2019, the Mayor’s political committee, “Kenney for Philadelphia,” paid a total of $75,000 to “Rodney Carpenter,” who is actually Rodney Muhammad (Rodney Carpenter is his birth name), for “consulting services.” Muhammad also benefited financially from Mayor Kenney’s well-known effort to institute a soda tax, which was disclosed in July 2018 when the Philadelphia Ethics board levied fines against an advocacy group named “Philadelphians for a Fair Future” and the firms that performed lobbying work on its behalf. The Settlement Agreement noted that, “Bellevue Communications Group also paid Rodney Muhammad more than $2,500 in the second quarter of 2016 to support Bellevue Communications Group’s work for PFF, but PFF failed to list Mr. Muhammad in its April 29, 2016 registration statement.”

In response to an email inquiry from the Philadelphia Jewish Link to the Mayor’s campaign about his political and financial link with Muhammad, a campaign spokesperson simply stated that, “Minister Muhammad provided consulting services to the campaign. He stopped working for the campaign in February 2020.” The spokesperson then referred to the foregoing statement that was issued by the Mayor’s office.

In addition to the Mayor, a number of members of the Philadelphia City Council expressed their indignation at Muhammad’s anti-Semitic post.

“I have seen the meme posted on social media,” tweeted Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke. “I oppose offensive speech of any kind directed at any ethnic, racial or religious group. We must come together as a people to solve the many issues magnified by #COVID19 and the unrest over systemic racism in our country.”

“I am sickened by the anti-Semitic meme that Minister Rodney Muhammad shared on social media this afternoon,” Councilmember Jamie Gauthier wrote in a statement that she posted on Twitter. “ Minister Muhammad has been an asset to our city, and for years has championed issues that matter to the Black community. But this incident calls into question his competence for such a prominent role, and his fitness for leadership in an organization that it, at is core, focused on achieving racial justice.”

“I’m gravely disappointed and saddened by the recent incident involving the anti-Semitic social media post,” said Councilmember Allan Domb. “There is no place for the spreading of hate in this City or anywhere in today’s world.

“Whether it was by way of ignorance, or blatant disregard for our Jewish history, words and actions matter to me and to the people who have been hurt by these images,” Domb continued. “This incident only further proves our need to create larger platforms to discuss and understand our diverse cultural and spiritual beliefs in Philadelphia. We cannot move forward as a city if we continue down a path of ignorance and hate. We must make every effort to heal and grow together from here forward.”

“Hate is hate – it’s wrong in all forms,” tweeted Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.

Local congressional members also took to Twitter to issue a reproach. “I am appalled at Minister Rodney Muhammad’s sharing of a clearly anti-Semitic meme,” Rep. Dwight Evans wrote. “He was wrong and he should apologize.”

“As a Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, I strongly condemn the extremely anti-Semitic meme shared by Minister Rodney Muhammad,” tweeted Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. “Hate and intolerance have no home in our community.”

In an emotional thread on his Twitter feed, State Senator Anthony Williams talked about his relationship with the Jewish community, noting that he has “never been asked by any of my friends of different ethnic origins to compromise my demand of being equal in this country.”

“The meme that was posted to Facebook and attributed to Mr. Muhammad speaks to some of the vilest stereotypes that Jews have endured for generations,” Williams wrote. “There is no way of explaining it or excusing it under any set of conditions. Regardless of someone suggesting that they do not understand the history or context, the image of a hand on top of Black people during this time is grossly insensitive to the backdrop of the fight for social justice. I can only state how vehemently lost this country will continue to be if we support arguments of supremacy based on the suppression and oppression of any group. If we are all equal before the eyes of God regardless of our religious affiliations or orientation, then there is no manner of human dignity that would support that illustration.”

“I, for one, will continue my work in my community to support removing obstacles and any form of oppression that faces African Americans,” Williams continued. “While I march steadfast forward to knock down those barriers, I don’t want to be distracted or associated with any person – Black, Jewish, Polish, Irish, Asian, Latino, or any ethnic group that would suggest it’s okay to stand quietly by and witness the bigotry of any other group.”

“Minister Muhammad’s statement today offered no apology for the antisemitic image or language he posted last week,” tweeted Senator Vincent Hughes. “He should step away from the NAACP.”

“The anti-Semitic meme share by Philadelphia NAACP president Rodney Muhammad was unacceptable, and I join many others in calling for his resignation,” tweeted Senator Tim Kearney. “His actions betray the mission of the NAACP, a civil rights organization dedicated to the equality of all citizens.”

As of this writing, Muhammad still has not properly apologized by uttering the words “I’m sorry,” and he continues to maintain his post at the NAACP despite the growing calls for his resignation or dismissal.