Maryland hate crime commission member suspended for anti-Israel social media posts

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland’s attorney general suspended a member of the state’s new commission aimed at addressing hate crimes this week after she posted on social media criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a news release Tuesday that his office recently learned about the personal social media posts of Zainab Chaudry, director of the Maryland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention is required to include a representative of CAIR along with other advocacy organizations. It was created by state lawmakers during the 2023 legislative session and began meeting last month. Brown has the authority to appoint its members as chair of the commission.

Brown said Chaudry’s membership has been temporarily suspended after she posted numerous times since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7. He called on other commission members to “exercise great care in their communications and conduct.”

“Personal postings that could be reasonably perceived as hate speech may disrupt the ability of the Commission to accomplish its important work,” he said in the statement.

Chaudry joins a growing list of Americans facing professional repercussions for their public comments about the war, the fallout from which has spilled into workplaces and educational institutions everywhere, including in politics, the corporate world and on college campuses across the country.

Chaudry’s Facebook posts since Israel declared war in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack have included images of Palestinian victims and claims that Israel is committing war crimes by indiscriminately attacking civilians. Along with calling for a ceasefire and the immediate return of all hostages, she wrote: “This isn’t a war. This is genocide.”

Chaudry defended her posts in an interview with The Washington Post, saying she’s using her personal social media account to express support for Palestinians suffering through a growing humanitarian crisis.

“I’m not surprised that there is this pushback of my advocacy on Palestinian human rights,” Chaudry told the newspaper. “There is this automatic retaliation or scapegoating of individuals who express any support for Palestinian rights.”

Brown said he’s assigned staff to “draft values statement about personal communications.”

“The Commission must serve as a model for the entire State on how to respond to incidents of hate and bias,” he said. “The Commission is facing its first test. How we respond has deep implications.”