Democratic congressman hoping to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz ignores questions about his support for radical imam



Democratic Rep. Colin Allred is running to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas. While the race leans "likely Republican," the LGBT activist and former Tennessee Titan figures he'll be able to succeed where Beto O'Rourke failed, in part because he was able to defeat incumbent Republican Rep. Pete Sessions in 2018 and has demonstrated a knack for collecting donations.

Since Allred's leftist influence and efforts to help Democrats further curtail the Second Amendment would likely be more impactful in the Senate, at least numerically, critics have recently begun to give his past remarks and associations greater scrutiny, particularly his historic support for a radical imam who has trafficked in anti-Israel propaganda.

In 2019, Allred lauded New Orleans native Omar Suleiman for his "message of peace, unity, and support for our fellow Americans," stressing he "always represent[s] the best of North Texas."

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Beyond demanding that Israel suspend its war with Hamas, Suleiman has in recent days called Israel "an ethnosupremacist state" that advances "global white supremacy" and referred to Israel's war against Hamas as a "genocide." He has previously called Israel a "terrorist regime," likened Palestinian treatment to "liv[ing] under Nazis," and reportedly said, "We ask Allah to humiliate this Israel."

Suleiman, now based in Texas, reportedly said at the outset of the 2014 Gaza War, "God willing on this blessed night as the 3rd Intifada begins, the beginning of the end of Zionism is here. May Allah help us overcome this monster, protect the innocent of the world, and accept the murdered as martyrs. ameen."

This supposed representative of North Texas wrote in 2018 that Palestinian rioters were "fearless and steadfast. They will not be discouraged by those who betray them. They will continue to resist. They will continue to march. They will continue to demand their freedom. And so will we. By any means necessary."

The Daily Mail noted that Suleiman, a member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, was photographed last year meeting with jihadists in Malaysia, one of whom previously declared that "every Muslim should be a terrorist" and signaled common cause with Osama bin Laden. The other jihadist suggested that non-Muslims are the "worst of Allah's creations, even lower than animals."

Following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, which claimed the lives of thousands of Israeli civilians and dozens of Americans, Suleiman circulated Hamas propaganda, claiming in one instance that Israel hit a Gazan hospital with an airstrike, when in reality an Islamist rocket had misfired. He has yet to take down his initial claim on X.

Weeks later, the Texas-based imam accused the U.S. of genocide on account of its support for Israel's security action against Hamas terrorists.

Rep. Allred clearly stated twice on Oct. 7 that he condemned "the unprovoked terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli civilians" and reiterated his "support for Israel and its right to defend itself."

Allred's messaging prompted interest in whether he'd changed his mind about Suleiman, given the imam's anti-Israeli vitriol.

Sen. Ted Cruz wrote in a Oct. 23 post, "Colin Allred embraced & welcomed this antisemite cleric to the House. Today, [Suleiman is] accusing BOTH Israael and America of 'genocide'? That is utterly false and a blood libel. Does Allred agree?"

"Does Allred still think that this antisemite represents (to use his words) 'the best of North Texas'?" added Cruz.

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It appears that Cruz was not the only person interested in Allred's opinion of Suleiman. After all, the congressman has set a low bar for those whom he considers "extremists," using this term in reference to law-abiding U.S. senators who've taken a stand against the Pentagon's legally dubious abortion initiatives.

A journalist recently confronted Allred about his support of Suleiman.

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Blaze News reached out to Allred for comment, but he did not respond by deadline.

It's unclear whether a condemnation of Suleiman might jeopardize Allred's ability to continue fundraising from groups critical of Israel, such as the George Soros-funded outfit J Street, which dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Democrat's Senate campaign early this year.

"Anti-Israel J Street’s endorsement of Texas Democrat Colin Allred comes as no surprise, because Allred aligns with J Street’s radicalism," Sam Markstein, national political director for the Republican Jewish Coalition, told the Washington Free Beacon. "Allred fancies himself a moderate, but he voted to keep anti-Semite Ilhan Omar on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, supported the disastrous [Iran] nuclear deal."

A spokesman for Allred's campaign noted at the time that he had managed to swing the support of "both AIPAC and J Street."

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Famed author Salman Rushdie attacked in New York, stabbed in neck as he was set to deliver lecture



Famed British-Indian author Salman Rushdie was attacked in western New York on Friday as he was about to give a lecture.

Witnesses saw a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and assault Rushdie as he was being introduced, the Associated Press reported. The 75-year-old author was reportedly stabbed several times and fell to the floor. The assailant was restrained and taken into custody.

Bystanders rushed to the author's aide and held up his legs, presumably to send more blood to his chest, the AP reported.

Hundreds of people in the audience watched in horror during the attack and were then evacuated from the scene.

Rushdie was flown to a hospital. His condition is unknown.

\u201cSalman Rushdie, who was stabbed at an event in New York, is being flown to hospital. No word on his condition\u201d
— BNO News (@BNO News) 1660320074

New York State Police said Rushdie suffered a "stab wound to the neck, and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital."

\u201cUPDATE - Rushdie has suffered a "stab wound to the neck, and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital."\u201d
— Disclose.tv (@Disclose.tv) 1660317694

"On August 12, 2022, at about 11 a.m., a male suspect ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer. Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck, and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital. His condition is not yet known," New York State Police Major Eugene Staniszewski said in a statement.

"The interviewer suffered a minor head injury. A State Trooper assigned to the event immediately took the suspect into custody. The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office assisted at the scene," Staniszewski added.

Rushdie's novel, "The Satanic Verses," is highly controversial among Muslims, as some consider it to be blasphemous. In 1988, Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of Rushdie and his publishers.

Iran has offered a bounty of over $3 million to anyone who kills Rushdie.

Though the Iranian government has since distanced itself from Khomeini's edict, the fatwa is still in effect to this day. Iranian leadership insists only the person who issued a fatwa may withdraw it, according to journalist Yashar Ali. Khomeini has been dead for more than 30 years.

\u201cNo idea what the motive is here, but everyone should remember that the bounty on Salman Rushdie\u2019s head from the Iranian government remains active and the Twitter account of Iran\u2019s supreme leader was locked a few years ago for reminding people of that.\u201d
— Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18) 1660316987
\u201cThe Iranian government largely walked away from it for many years but the Supreme Leader reignited it when he tweeted about it. \n\nThe government will say only the person who issued the fatwa can withdraw it. \n\nThat person, the Ayatollah Khomeini, has been dead for over 30 years.\u201d
— Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18 (@Yashar Ali \ud83d\udc18) 1660318892

In 2012, an Iranian religious foundation raised the bounty on Rushdie's head from $2.8 million to $3.3 million.

Rushdie downplayed the threat at the time, saying there was "no evidence" anyone was interested in claiming the reward.

That same year, Rushdie published a memoir, "Joseph Anton," about the fatwa. The title was taken from the pseudonym he had used while in hiding.

The Chautauqua Institution, located about 55 miles southwest of Buffalo in a rural part of New York, is known for its summertime lecture series, the AP reports. Rushdie has given lectures there before.