Jewish member of Illinois committee resigns over racist remarks

A Jewish member of the state's hate crimes commission resigned Thursday rather than serve with a Nation of Islam official appointed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration.

"Having a top member of an organization that continues to spew out hate on a regular basis made it impossible for us to continue to serve," said Lonnie Nasatir, who represents the Anti-Defamation League on the 25-member commission.

Richard Hirschhaut, director of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, said he was also strongly considering resigning.

On Wednesday, Blagojevich expressed support for Claudette Marie Muhammad,
director of community outreach for the Nation of Islam, a black Muslim group led by the Rev. Louis Farrakhan. But Blagojevich said he did not know he had appointed Muhammad until learning about it from news reports.

more...

He supports her but he didn't know he had appointed her???
WTF is that????

Sounds like a community outreach to me.

trying to convince everyone that Farrakhan wasn't as virulently anti-Semitic as he "used to be"? *sigh*

And the homophobia is pretty ugly.

I'm not people who support Farrakhan's views have any business being on a hate crimes commission.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HATE_CRIMES_COMMISSION?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

(at the end of the piece)
Blagojevich said he did not know he had appointed Muhammad and wished his staff had discussed it with him. His office would not comment on the controversy except to say the governor had accepted Nasatir's resignation. He quickly filled the vacancy with Rep. Lou Lang, but did not return repeated calls seeking comment on the resignations.

Lang, a Democrat and leader in the Jewish caucus, was among some lawmakers who called for Muhammad to denounce Farrakhan's comments, but he said he will give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm going to assume for the moment that this person is not espousing hate," he said.

Muhammad issued a statement Wednesday supporting "fairness to all people regardless of race, creed, color, national origin or religious beliefs." She did not return a message left at Nation of Islam headquarters seeking comment.

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I am a little curious as to who the two that resigned would have approved of.

cause they think the mossad was behind 9-11
and Farrakhan is shaking their cage about it.

I'll take no reality for $100, Alex

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Two Jewish members of a state hate crimes panel resigned in disgust, saying it was impossible to serve with a Nation of Islam member appointed to the group.

Richard Hirschhaut, executive director of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and Lonnie Nasatir, a regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, resigned Thursday. They said the commission's work has been compromised. "The work of this commission is far too important to have been hijacked by one polarizing and divisive figure," Hirschhaut said.

Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad, director of community outreach for the Nation of Islam, was named to the Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes in August. Her presence was unknown to most people - including Gov. Rod Blagojevich - until last month, when she invited members of the commission to attend a speech by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

In the speech, Farrakhan accused "Hollywood Jews" of "promoting lesbianism, homosexuality" and other "filth." That angered some commission members who publicly complained Muhammad's work for Farrakhan clashed with the panel's goals.

Blagojevich said he did not know he had appointed Muhammad and wished his staff had discussed it with him. His office would not comment on the controversy except to say the governor had accepted Nasatir's resignation. He quickly filled the vacancy with Rep. Lou Lang, but did not return repeated calls seeking comment on the resignations

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060303/D8G47AA01.html

and stop spouting it out.

And Blagojevich should examine his staff very carefully. This sounds like an appointment that was deliberately intended to sabotage hate crimes legislation.