Ibrahim Sarsur

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Ibrahim Sarsur
Date of birth (1959-02-02) 2 February 1959
Place of birth Kafr Qasim, Israel
Knessets 17, 18, 19
Party represented in Knesset
2006– United Arab List

Sheikh Ibrahim Sarsur (Arabic: ابراهيم صرصور‎, Hebrew: אברהים צרצור‎, born 2 February 1959) is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for the United Arab List, of which he is the party leader.

Biography

Born in Kafr Qasim, Sarsur served on its council between 1989 and 1999. During the 1970s, he studied English literature and English linguistics at Bar-Ilan University. In 1999, he became head of the southern faction of the Islamic Movement (considered more moderate than its northern counterpart). He is one of the heads of the Supreme Committee for the Surveillance of Israeli Arabs (Arabic: لجنة المتابعة العليا للجماهير العربية في إسرائيل), an organization founded in 1982 in order to coordinate the political activities of Israeli Arabs.

He was active in the United Arab List before its merger with Ahmad Tibi's Ta'al, and became leader of the united list. He was voted to the Knesset in the 2006 elections. He retained his seat in the 2009 elections.

Controversies

He spoke out against a meeting of Arab lesbians in 2007, releasing a statement saying that "all respectable people from all communities and streams to stand up against preaching sexual deviance among our women and girls." [1] He also claimed there were no homosexuals in the Muslim community.[2]

Following an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip which killed a woman and her four children in April 2008, he compared the actions of Israel to those of the Nazis: "Israel's killing of innocent people is reminiscent of some very dark times, including that of the Nazis." [3]

In a June 2011 speech, Sarsur praised Hezbollah for "defeating" Israel and called for a new caliphate to be established with its capital in Jerusalem.[4] [citation needed]

Despite his generally anti-Zionist sentiments, in 2013 Sarsur signed a petition along with 105 other MKs calling for the release of the Jewish-American Jonathan Pollard, currently imprisoned by America on account of spying for Israel. Sarsur was quoted as saying that he "felt an emotional kinship with Pollard when [he] heard about the conditions under which he lives,”, comparing Pollard's treatment to that of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Islamic Movement slams Arab gay meeting Haaretz, 11 March 2007
  2. ↑ Arab MK: No gays in Muslim society Ynetnews, 7 April 2006
  3. ↑ Arab MK: Israel's acts reminiscent of Nazis Ynetnews, 28 April 2008
  4. ↑ Fendel, Hillel (16 June 2011). "Arab MK Praises Hizbullah, Calls for Caliphate". Israel National News. Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 16 June 2011. 
  5. ↑ http://www.timesofisrael.com/106-israeli-mks-appeal-to-obama-to-release-pollard/

External links

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