By Marlo Safi
https://dailycaller.com/author/marlo/
Multiple Muslim groups rebuked Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in an amicus curiae brief supporting Jewish parents suing Cuomo over restrictions targeting religious schools in Orthodox Jewish communities.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council, Religious Freedom Institute’s Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team, and Asma Uddin wrote a brief that supported a complaint that was filed Oct. 16, and that alleges Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio discriminated against Jews by prohibiting in-person instruction at Jewish schools throughout the city.
The brief described historical accounts of “scapegoating” religious minorities in times of “sickness, war, and fear.” The Muslim groups cite the discrimination of numerous religions throughout history, including Muslims after 9/11 and Jews during the Black Death, as examples, and added that Cuomo’s actions resemble past instances of scapegoating.
“Latest in a long and troubling line of such incidents are the statements and policies of Governor Cuomo blaming Orthodox Jewish communities for the spread of COVID-19 and specifically targeting them for closures and restrictions, all despite a dearth of evidence,” the brief says.
In early October, Cuomo was allowed by a federal judge to enact new restrictions on gatherings at synagogues and at other houses of worship, after arguments that Cuomo was targeting religious minorities with the order. He said that it was “the last thing I want to do” and that the move was “right on the line of government intrusion on religion,” according to the New York Times.
Multiple Jewish congregations are suing the governor and state over his alleged “streak of anti-Semitic discrimination.”
https://dailycaller.com/2020/10/23/muslim-group-amicus-curiae-brief-targeting-jewish-community-new-york-andrew-cuomo/