The Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) shows a reckless disregard for truth and for the well-being of anyone it can use to buttress its “Islamophobia” narrative.
“Fencer and CAIR ‘Clearly Don’t Care About the Truth’ Asserts N.J. Teacher in New Court Filing,” by Steven Emerson, IPT News, April 14, 2023:
Ibtihaj Muhammad made history as the first hijab-clad athlete on the U.S. Olympic team. The bronze medal winning fencer from the 2016 summer games was featured on magazine covers, spawned a line of sportswear and even a Barbie doll.
But in court papers filed late Tuesday, a New Jersey elementary school teacher says Muhammad deserves a different reputation: Liar.
In October 2021 social media posts, Muhammad accused veteran schoolteacher Tamar Herman of abusing a 7-year-old Muslim student by “forcibly” pulling off her hijab as “the young student resisted.” After exposing the girl’s hair to the class, Herman then told her that “her hair was beautiful and she did not have to wear hijab to school anymore,” Muhammad wrote.
Herman insists that didn’t happen and contacted Muhammad to offer her side of the story. But when Herman, who had Muhammad’s cell phone number, texted to say her post was “completely false and terribly damaging,” Muhammad ignored her. Now, Muhammad says she had no idea who Herman was.
Muhammad’s claims, filed last month, “are outright falsehoods,” Herman says. And they are “further evidence [of] her actual malice, i.e. reckless disregard for the truth.”
CAIR Blows Up Incident into National Story
The issue generated national attention when the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its New Jersey chapter called for Herman’s firing.
“Our children must be protected from anti-Muslim bigotry and abuse at school,” CAIR’s national office wrote. “The teacher who pulled a second grader’s hijab off in class must be fired immediately.”
“Anything less,” CAIR’s New Jersey chapter added, “is an insult to the students and parents…”
School administrators were overwhelmed by the public response. IPT has seen dozens of social media posts that not only called for Herman’s firing but threatened her safety as well.
Herman hasn’t been allowed back in the classroom since.
Last October, she filed suit in federal court against the South Orange Maplewood school district and a consultant it worked with for their roles in a “malicious and antisemitic campaign” and for violating her due process rights. She also sued Muhammad, CAIR, its New Jersey chapter and its director, Selaedin Maksut, in state court alleging defamation. CAIR moved to dismiss the case in February, saying their statements largely were accurate and, therefore, not defamatory. Muhammad and Maksut embraced CAIR’s filing.
In her response filed Tuesday, Herman argues that none of the parties made any effort to determine if the accusation was true.
“Muhammad, despite her claims to the contrary in support of her motions, knew Herman well and had the ability and opportunity to communicate with Herman about the allegations, yet inexplicably declined to do so,” attorney Erick Dykema writes. “Maksut, CAIR, and CAIR NJ, for their part, clearly didn’t care about the truth—they simply parroted Muhammad’s false accusations without any concern for their accuracy.”
It is too soon for the court to consider the defense motions, Dykema writes. The basic facts are in dispute, and no discovery has taken place which would help determine what is true.
Herman has been teaching for 30 years “with a stellar reputation.”
She insists the entire episode was a misunderstanding. The 7-year-old girl normally wore a form-fitting hijab to class, but on the day in question, she had on a sweatshirt, with the hood covering her eyes during a lesson. Herman asked the girl to pull it back, thinking the hijab was underneath. But when the girl didn’t respond, Herman says she gently brushed the hood back.
When she saw no hijab, Herman says she quickly pulled the hood back into place, covering the child’s hair, and apologized.
Herman would have told this account to Muhammad or CAIR. But she never was given the chance.
“The evidence of actual malice—reckless disregard for the truth—is overwhelming,” Dykema writes. “… Muhammad based her social media posts on a thirdhand account of events emanating from a most unreliable source, that being a young child.”
Raw Antisemitism
The girl’s parents, Cassandra and Joseph Wyatt, each have made antisemitic statements about Herman and the incident involving their daughter.
Jews “monopolize a lot of stuff for money,” Joseph Wyatt told the Washington Post. “The Jews — the Semitics — they run Hollywood. They run a lot of stuff. It’s all Jewish names.”
Whatever happened between his daughter and Tamar Herman was about religion, “no doubt,” he said. “There’s always been a conflict with the Muslims and the Jews … That’s why they are fighting in Palestine.”
The teacher may say it was a mistake, he said, but “it was no mistake to her.”
The child’s mother, Cassandra Wyatt, has changed her story and made her own social media posts admitting that her reaction changed once she learned Herman is Jewish. According to Herman’s lawsuit, the girl’s mother initially told the principal that she understood the incident was a misunderstanding. But she quickly changed tone upon learning Herman is Jewish.
” “I JUST FOUND OUT THE TEACHER IS JEWISHHHHHHHHHH ������������� . . . that’s why I believe she did it now I’m furious,” Wyatt wrote.
“A JEWSIH (sic) TEACHER THAT TAUGHT AT A JEWISH SCHOOL & A PUBLIC SCHOOL FOR 30 YEARS PULLED MY MUSLIM 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HIJAB OFF HER HEAD CLAIMING IT WAS A HOODIES” “SHES JEWISH!”
For all of CAIR’s public claims to stand against antisemitism, as we have noted, the fact that it has not said a word about the Wyatts’ demonstrable antisemitism speaks volumes about CAIR’s true views on Jews….
Hoi Polloi says
I hope Ms.Tamar Herman has solid security. I’d also like to see the rest of us provided a path to sue all these bad actors whose goal is to drive good teachers out of our schools.
Moe Hamm says
CAIR should be shut down and its members deported!
GreekEmpress says
https://www.thelawfareproject.org/
Lawfare Project is defending Ms. Herman.
Larry Estavan says
Tamar Herman should sue the TV stations that broadcast this rumor as news –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev42J1TavAE
Wellington says
Well, just imagine if CAIR would be in charge of America. Oh yeah, how would that go?
Wherever Islam predominates, true liberty is absent. Ditto for wherever Western Leftism has the reins of power, which is way too many places in the West nowadays (e.g., the Democratic Party of the USA) and which bodes ill for freedom.
Yes, because if the traditional West dies due to malignancies like 1) Western Leftism, 2)your standard authoritarian rule as exhibited by ruthless men like Putin and XI, and 3) the totalitarian religion which is Islam, it will become the darkest of dark ages in man’s history. This is a given considering that previous dark ages had not nearly so much access by the wrong people to science and technology (almost all of which was developed by the only civilization which in our stupid times one can impugn with no consequences).
In brief, Islam, authoritarianism, and Western Leftism are an unholy trinity doing their best to end the great experiment in freedom begun SOLELY by the best of the West. Doesn’t look promising right now.
Not at all.
PRCS says
“a 7-year-old Muslim student”
Qur’an 33:59 commanded women (i.e., females having reached the age of puberty)
That given, why is a prepubescent girl wearing one? From whose view is she guarding her “adornments?
Just sayin’: as I recall, dear ‘ole mom and dad are angry, black reverts on an anti-Jew, anti-white mission.
Dollars to donuts, this was a CAIR setup that used Ms. Muhammad as a prop in another of its money-making lawfare schemes.
PRCS says
“(i.e., females having reached the age of puberty)” to wear the veil.
Don McKellar says
That’s exactly what I thought while reading the story — why is a 7 year old covering her hair? Hopefully this is noted in the legal proceedings. It stinks as a set up scheme.
PRCS says
No doubt in my mind.
Hope Ms. Herman wins the lawsuit.
Mike says
This CAIR is a savage group are all of you here and in our miserable world, I was one of the savages in this world, after a NDE phenomenon experience, I found the truth, every human in this earth thinks that he is the holder of the real truth and all the rest of humanity are bad and they will end up in hell, Muslims believe that they are the only truth and all other religions are satanic, all the other religions think the same, who is right and who is wrong? Actually, you are All wrong, and only God is right, but you will ask, what is God? Where is God? How does he judge right from wrong? My answer, within you, Deep inside of yourself is where God resides, try to contemplate, meditate, think deep and deeper, try to reach the core of yourself, you will understand that God is the source of everything good, and the opposite of God is all horrible things, if one hurts another human, or an animal or a plant, the laws of nature will attract him to the dark universe and repulse his Aura from the bright side of the universe, that is heaven and hell .
Hoi Polloi says
More than one western company has advertised and sold toddler coverings. I refuse to shop at those.
PRCS says
Good point.
somehistory says
Clearly, it was a set-up. The child normally wore one of those face-mashing, tight as spandex, scarves, and that day, she wore a hoodie over her hair.
She was told to pull it down over her eyes, causing the teacher to respond, as any good teacher would, and then, it’s to make the accusations; even when the teacher realized, and put the hoodie back and apologized…because it was a set-up.
The teacher was set-up. Hopefully, her attorney can prove it and cause some real **distress** to the foul, lying, mozlums.
Don McKellar says
Good points about the coaching that must have happened. It’s obvious.
somehistory says
Thank you, Don McKellar.
Linde B. says
To somehistory- You are 100% correct; this was a set-up. The first doctrine of teaching is: “Do no harm to any child, whether mental, physical or emotional.”
The teacher, Ms. Herman, wanted her students to see the lesson, so she pulled back the hood covering one of her student’s eyes. There is nothing wrong with that. I have prayed that NJ rules in favor of Ms. Herman, and that Ms. Herman’s lawsuit against CAIR is a resounding success.
Hoi Polloi says
I think it’s also that teachers (and others) have a legal duty of care when there’s a possibility that signs of abuse or illness are being obscured. The idea that bowing to islam supersedes this duty conflicts with our laws as written and as RS often says, we need to use our established laws to fight back.
somehistory says
Yes, teachers are taught to look for long sleeves , sweaters, jackets in hot weather just as seeing thin clothing in the winter, are signs of abuse.
The long sleeves, the hoodies over the face, both signs that someone has been beating, burning, etc. the poor child.
Linde B. says
To Hoi Polloi-You too are 100% right. That is what teachers do, care for their students.
somehistory says
Thank you, Linde B.
Linde B. says
To somehistory-?Thumbs up for you!
Don McKellar says
So… The Wyatt family, is it?
Of course. Crazed converts to islam. Almost certainly at least one of them has a neo-nazi background. They usually do.
What is a 7 year old girl doing wearing that stuff anyway? Isn’t that for after they reach sexual maturity?
This whole thing really stinks. CAIR needs to be punished along with that hysterical lunatic athlete.
Don McKellar says
Oh, I see the parents are black. So they come from the other majpr recruitment group for Islam: white hating blacks.
I really wonder how much friction there must be between the racist blacks and the former neo-nazis? They must never go nto bthe same mosques.
Phil Copson says
Since when are “Cassandra” and “Joseph Wyatt” muslim names? This is straightforward child abuse – forcing a little child to dress a certain way in order to force others to act a certain way – purely to satisfy the parents power-trip. It’s a political form of “Munchausen-syndrome-by-proxy”.
Noah Andeark says
CAIR is a terror organization. Its members, supporters and officers are all terrorists.
OLD GUY says
No wonder our public schools are losing their good teachers, they have to not only teach unruly students, but also have to deal with over the top parents.
Linde B. says
To OLD GUY- You are so correct, and I do not mean “politically correct.” Principals bend over backwards to appease parents,
instead of asking them politely to teach their children to obey the rules and be fair minded.
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
According to The Beast, she was only a couple of years away from sexual maturity.
Obviously, she’s been well-trained in the art of victimhood mentality. It is CAIR’s stock in trade.
tgusa says
‘don’t care about the truth’
I guess he doesn’t get out much.
bill says
CAIR is a pernicious actor in USA and there is nothing like it in any other country. I am sorry Trump did not remove its charity status due to its politival activity. Of course JB would have replaced it but at least they would have paid taxes for a few years.