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Join Telegram ChannelA vocal anti-Israel activist who has donated to Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib's campaign deplored the assassination of a senior Hamas leader on Wednesday, saying his “martyrdom is not in vain.”
Zahra Billoo, a former Women's March leader and executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in San Francisco, took to social media after reports that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had been assassinated in Tehran, Iran, prompting Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to vow “revenge” for the attack.
“Never say that those who are martyred in the cause of Allah are dead – in fact, they are alive! But you do not realize it,” Billoo said in the first part of his message, appearing to quote the Quran.
“Tonight we mourn Ismail himself, but we know that his martyrdom was not in vain,” she continued, using a controversial phrase used by anti-Israel activists to signify the elimination of Israel. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
IRANIAN LEADER KHAMENEI SAYS 'DUTY TO TAKE REVENGE' AFTER HANIYEH'S ASSASSINATION
Zahra Billoo, left, an ally of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, mourned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. (Fox News)
“I mourn yesterday’s martyrs because I can see the horrible path that the murder of peace negotiators leads to,” Billoo added in an X-rated thread, accusing Israel of “genocide.”
Billoo's initial post immediately sparked a backlash from social media users, with some mocking the Quran quote and claiming that the Hamas leader was definitely “not alive.”
“It’s probably important to remember that every time you see the name CAIR,” said journalist Bari Weiss.
Billoo, who has donated nearly $1,000 to several of Tlaib’s campaigns, has been at the center of much controversy in recent years over her anti-Israel rhetoric, which led the board of the left-leaning Women’s March to cut ties with her in 2019 after just two days in office. She posted a 25-message Twitter thread blaming her ouster on an “Islamophobic smear campaign” and “right-wingers.”
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Despite the backlash, Tlaib came to Billoo's defense the day after her ouster, posting: “#FreePalestine, always, sister! They will not silence us for speaking out against human rights abuses.”
“They will lie, smear our names and call us anti-this and that, but we will always be pro-humanity and we have the truth on our side. Let us stay strong,” she continued.
Several controversial posts from Billoo circulated on social media shortly after she was announced as a Women's March board member.
“If you support Israel, you are definitely supporting child killers,” Billoo wrote in a 2014 post that circulated before her ouster. In other posts, she called Zionism “racist” and said she was “proud to be anti-Zionist.”
“Reading the tweets in question, I recognize that I wrote with passion. While I may have phrased some of my content differently today, I stand by my words,” Billoo said in 2019 about several of his controversial posts.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, and labor activists discuss free speech on college campuses, at the Capitol in Washington, DC, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Before the Women's March controversy, Billoo took a selfie with Tlaib outside her congressional office in Washington, D.C., in early 2019 and said, “Not all heroes wear capes, some like Rep. Tlaib. [Tlaib] “Wear Congressional Badges!”
“It’s so good to see you, sister! I will always speak truth to power because I have you to protect,” Tlaib responded.
Billoo was also present at a Tlaib fundraiser in California in 2021, according to a Facebook post.
This is not the first time a CAIR leader has drawn backlash on social media. Last December, Nihad Awad, CAIR’s executive director and co-founder, said he was “happy” to see Hamas invade Israel on October 7 and that the Jewish state had no right to defend itself because it is an “occupying power.”
“And yes, the people of Gaza have the right to defend themselves. And yes, Israel, as the occupying power, does not have the right to defend itself,” he said.
U.S.-Islamic Relations Chairman Nihad Awad speaks at an event outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. (Photo by Elif Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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In addition to Billoo's anti-Israel rhetoric, she has also repeatedly attacked Memorial Day and smeared the U.S. military, questioning why fallen soldiers should be commemorated.
“Do you think we should honor people who commit war crimes?” she asked in a message.
“I did not and do not celebrate #MemorialDay,” Billoo posted in a lengthy thread in 2019. “No honor can be earned by participating in dishonorable wars.”
Tlaib's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News' Aubrie Spady and Landon Mion contributed to this report.