CAIR-Chicago Executive Director's Social Media Statement on Charlie Kirk's Fatal Shooting

In a statement on social media, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab, reacted to Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting:

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot dead (sniped in the neck) at a live lecture at Utah Valley University.

I despise much of what Charlie Kirk stood for: his supremacy, racism and Islamophobia, his support and cheerleading for genocide, and his warped logic that ironically justifies his own shooting (see first pictured tweet).

I despise the fact that every day Palestinian kids are sniped like that and no one bats an eye. I despise the fact that local U.S. teens who shoot them like the Naperville IDF soldier brag about it, and still no condemnation.

And yet: I find this attack absolutely reprehensible. I cannot stand for a society that negotiates its political differences through violence. I cannot stand for the chaos of political executions.

Moreover, much as I despised Charlie's hateful views, I care for his small children, whom I don’t know; I care that they get to keep their loving father. And so this horrific crime must be condemned by us all. Political differences can only be negotiated through debate. If Charlie is not safe, no one is. I hope the culprit is swiftly brought to justice.

CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote understanding. 

CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com