‘Racist’: Backlash as Hotel Cancels US Muslim Group's Conference
The federation, which represents all mosques in the region and works to promote unity and support among Muslim and non-Muslim communities, said the hotel's decision was based on "racist, baseless accusations" from a former politician who claimed the group supported terrorism.
"We didn't think racism would prevail in South Florida in this way," said Jalal Shehadah, a member of the federation and a former member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, CBS News reported on Tuesday.
The hotel's general manager, Mark C. Cherry, said in an email that the hotel had determined that there was an increased risk to the safety and security of hotel guests, team members and the community with the federation's event. He said the hotel had made the decision not to host the event after careful consideration of these issues.
The cancellation came after Joe Kaufman, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress three times, wrote an article online that alleged that some of the speakers at the conference would spread antisemitism and extremism. He also started a petition that gathered thousands of signatures to ban the conference.
Kaufman and four others met with Cherry last week to express their concerns. Shehadah said he was not invited to the meeting and only learned about the cancellation when Cherry called him afterward.
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Shehadah said the federation was responsible for providing security for the event and had hired a private company to do so. He said the hotel did not ask him if he could increase the security or address the allegations.
He said the federation had booked the hotel last May and had sold 1,000 tickets, hired 25 vendors and purchased airfare for the speakers.
Last year, the group partnered with the Miami Heat for "Muslim Night" at Kaseya Center during an NBA game. The federation also hosted a forum with law enforcement in 2020. Starting in 2023, the group began hosting a conference at the Marriott in Coral Springs.
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Shehadah said the federation was scrambling to find a new venue for the conference, which is scheduled to begin on Friday and end on Saturday. He said he felt that the hotel's cancellation was not only a setback for the event, but also a blow to the Muslim community's dignity and rights.
"We have not been provided one credible threat that would support the hotel canceling the conference," he said. "The only thing we've been provided are racist, baseless accusations that are built on an Islamophobe's bigoted point of view: that every Muslim is a terrorist."
Source: Agencies
