Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown recently announced the temporary suspension of Zainab Chaudry, a member of the state’s new commission addressing hate crimes. Ms. Chaudry, the state director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), made anti-Semitic comments on her personal social media posts in the weeks following a Hamas terrorist group’s attack on Israel in October. Mr. Brown expressed concern that her comments disrupted the commission’s ability to achieve its objectives.
The Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention was formed to address hate crimes and promote long-term strategies to eradicate them. Mr. Brown warned that personal tweets or posts that are perceived as hate speech can potentially hinder the commission’s vital work. As chair of the commission, he has the authority to appoint members and is deeply invested in reclaiming the objectives of the commission.
Ms. Chaudry has argued that her posts and comments were made in her personal capacity, in no way inviting hate and as reflecting her First Amendment rights. Meanwhile, Mr. Brown stated that the commission has a responsibility to become a model for the whole state in responding to incidents of hate and bias, and to carefully balance the members’ right to free speech with their role on the commission.
Ms. Chaudry had posted numerous images of Palestinian victims on her Facebook account following the Israeli campaign against Hamas. She compared Israel’s military campaign to Nazi Germany and called for a ceasefire, as well as using the term “fake Israeli babies.” Representatives from Israel and the Palestinian territories had condemned her comments.