A congressional hearing focused on hate crimes has come under fire for fostering the very bigotry it aimed to address. During the Senate judiciary committee hearing, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana directed an offensive remark at Maya Berry, the female Muslim executive director of the Arab American Institute, telling her to “hide your head in a bag” and accusing her of supporting Hamas and Hezbollah. This statement sparked swift condemnation from Democratic members, as well as various Muslim, Jewish, and civil rights organizations.
Tensions escalated further when Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was interrupted by a protester highlighting the high Palestinian death toll in the ongoing violence in Gaza. The protester shouted about the countless casualties, questioning the singular focus on antisemitism, before being removed from the chamber. Cruz responded by asserting that the disruption exemplified antisemitism and hatred.
Republican senators criticized the hearing’s theme, set by Democratic chair Dick Durbin, for blending antisemitism with discrimination against Muslims and Arabs. Senator Lindsey Graham, the committee’s Republican ranking member from South Carolina, expressed frustration that the hearing did not focus on the difficulties Jewish students face, stating, “If you’re Jewish, you’re being knocked down. You’re being spat on.”
In the House of Representatives, a Republican-led subcommittee has already conducted a series of intense hearings examining the rise of antisemitism on college campuses, prompted by Hamas’s recent attacks on Israel that resulted in significant casualties and an Israeli military response.
During the Senate hearing, Graham questioned Berry on whether she believed Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran aimed to eliminate Israel, to which Berry responded that such matters were complex. Kennedy then pressed Berry with pointed questions about her stance on Hamas, leading to a tense exchange where Berry firmly stated, “Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support,” and criticized the line of questioning as indicative of hate in the country.
Kennedy concluded by expressing disappointment over Berry’s answers and delivering his insulting remark. In response, Berry lamented the hostile atmosphere she faced, underscoring the very issues of hate that the hearing sought to address.
The judiciary committee later publicized Berry’s remarks, underscoring her call-out of the disrespectful treatment she received. The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned Kennedy’s remarks as emblematic of the bigotry faced by Arabs, Palestinians, and Muslims. The ACLU’s executive director criticized the personal attacks during a hearing supposed to address rising hate crimes, labeling them as inappropriate. Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, described the treatment of Berry as distressing and reiterated that the hearing should be about combating hate, not perpetuating it.