Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) delivered the keynote speech at the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) 15th annual banquet on February 26th. She opened by saying, “‘We always said ‘the Muslims are coming’… I think we’re here!” The crowd roared.
She said, “We’re not only everywhere in all kinds of different governments but, mashallah, we’re in the United States Congress.” (Mashallah means “what Allah wanted has happened.”)
The video above contains Tlaib’s full remarks.
The video in @AmyMek’s tweet below shows Tlaib’s introduction by Hassan Shibly, the Executive Director of CAIR-FL. “Allahu Akbar! The first Palestinian-American Congresswoman, our dear sister Rashida Tlaib!”
The video presents one of Shibly’s tweets from 2014. It says, “With God as my wittiness (sic), Israel & it’s supporters are enemies of God and humanity! How many more children must Israel kill 4 U 2 C? #Gaza“
An ebullient Tlaib steps up to the podium. “Thank you brother Hassan.” She then says something in Arabic. The crowd roars again.
Tlaib began by taking a jab at President Trump. “And it was after this President not once, [not] twice, but three times issued a Muslim ban against our community. Thank you so much for inviting me to support a civil rights organization that is around the unified fight against hate and racism in our country.”
One of the big takeaways from the speech was an anecdote she told the audience involving the late Congressman John Dingell (D-MI). Tlaib said:
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