A congressional hearing addressing hate crimes has faced significant backlash after a Republican senator made a controversial remark directed at the female Muslim leader of a think tank. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana told Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, to “hide your head in a bag” while accusing her of supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, prompting widespread condemnation from Democrats as well as various Muslim, Jewish, and civil liberties organizations.
The Senate judiciary committee hearing saw further interruptions when Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was confronted by a spectator who protested the high number of Palestinian deaths resulting from Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The protester criticized the focus on antisemitism, saying, “You talk about the fucking Jews and the Israelis. Talk about the 40,000. Talk about all these people. Why is it about antisemitism?” He was subsequently removed from the chamber. Cruz responded by stating, “We now have a demonstration of antisemitism. We have a demonstration of the hate.”
Republicans criticized the hearing’s theme, set by Democratic chair Dick Durbin, for merging issues of antisemitism with discrimination against Muslims, Arabs, and other groups. Senator Lindsey Graham, the committee’s Republican ranking member, emphasized that the aim was to address the difficulties faced by Jewish individuals in schools, asserting that the hearing did not meet that purpose.
This congressional hearing follows previous sessions led by a Republican-majority subcommittee in the House, which focused on the surge of antisemitism on college campuses after Hamas’s attack on Israel last October. This attack resulted in around 1,200 fatalities, with many more taken hostage, inciting a significant Israeli military response. The House hearings led to resignations of university heads over their perceived insufficient condemnation of calls for violence against Jews.
During the hearing, Graham questioned Berry on her stance regarding Hamas and Hezbollah, to which Berry responded that these are complicated issues. This led to Kennedy’s aggressive questioning where he directly asked if she supported Hamas. Berry clarified, “Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support,” arguing that his questions highlighted the issue of hate in American society instead. Despite Berry’s responses, Kennedy expressed disappointment in her lack of a definitive stance and made the disparaging remark.
Responding to Kennedy’s comment, Berry remarked on the unfortunate irony of experiencing the very issue being discussed at the hearing, calling it a “regrettable” indication of current threats to democratic institutions. The judiciary committee later endorsed her response on social media, criticizing Kennedy’s comment while highlighting Berry’s compelling reply.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the treatment of Berry, stating that both she and the subject of hate crimes deserved respect. Robert McCaw, CAIR’s government affairs director, noted that Kennedy’s actions exemplified the bigotry faced by Arabs, Palestinians, and Muslims. Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, decried Kennedy’s behavior as a “discriminatory and vitriolic attack” during a hearing meant to address the rise of hate crimes.
Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, described Berry’s treatment as “heartbreaking,” highlighting that the only Muslim witness faced biased inquiries regarding her support for Hamas and Hezbollah despite clearly denouncing them. She called for the Senate to do better in combating hate rather than perpetuating it.