Gary Aiken, a Jewish father with kids in Fairfax County Public Schools, joined WMAL’s Mornings on the Mall radio program yesterday, to discuss his concerns about school board member Abrar Omeish’s recent attacks on Israel. “Ms. Omeish, like many 26 year-olds, knows the power of social media. It can promote great things, but it can also destroy,” Aiken noted. “We expect our school board members to set a positive example for our kids.”
On May 13, Omeish wrote that Israel perpetrates “apartheid” and “colonization”; “desecrates the Holy Land” and “kills Palestinians.” To date, Omeish has not retracted her inflammatory words; they can still be read on the very same Twitter and Facebook accounts that she uses to communicate with constituents.
During his WMAL interview, Aiken lamented Omeish’s decision to use her status to foment division rather than foster unity. “I’m not just concerned about Jewish children,” Aiken said. “Look, it is extremely sensitive. Not just for Jewish children, but for Muslim children, too. Because when the comments start flying on social media, it goes in both directions.”
Aiken implored residents to share their concerns with county supervisors and school board members, and to support the effort to recall Omeish as well. “There’s no place for bigotry on the school board,” Aiken said. “There’s no place for anti-Semitism on the school board. There’s no place for religious intolerance on the school board.”
FULL INTERVIEW: