Interfaith group reinstates award after community outrage
PACT had rescinded its award to Muslim leader Zahra Billoo
SAN JOSE » Weeks after pressure from some Jewish members led interfaith organization PACT to rescind its award to Muslim civil rights attorney Zahra Billoo — causing outrage among religious and civic leaders across the Bay Area — the group has announced its reinstating the recognition.
In a statement to community members and leaders Friday, PACT, which stands for People Acting in Community Together, apologized for rescinding Billoo’s award earlier this month and vowed to improve its work with the Muslim community.
“In our efforts to be responsive to one set of leaders, we inadvertently participated in efforts to silence a faith leader and close partner expressing moral critique of an ongoing human rights crisis in Palestine,” the statement said. “In fact, conversations are much needed about the injustice that occurs every day in Palestine, and its connection to the issues we work on including racism, border walls, and police violence.”
In the letter, PACT outlined three key commitments to improve collaboration with Muslims, in- cluding:
• Adding more Muslims to its membership, on staff and on the group’s board.
• Participationina “learning lab” in Israel/Palestine hosted by parent organization PICO, in which PACT leaders would travel to the Middle East to learn about the issues in the region.
• Training for PACT staff and faith leaders on Islamophobia, racism, anti-Semitism and more.
Billoo, executive director of the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area, said the proposal includes “incredible” opportunities for future collaborations and said she’s proud of PACT for making the right decision.
“I’mrelieved that this entire process is now a closed chapter,” Billoo said. “In some ways I’m happy that the efforts to silence me backfired and actually created more conversations in the region about Palestinians and human rights violations.”
In a series of tweets earlier this month, Billoo said PACT leaders approached her saying there was mounting opposition from some Jewish group members about the award, that their “institutional funding” was at stake and that members were threatening to leave.
After they suggested alternatives — which included honoring CAIR as a whole or someone else within the organization — Billoo said she refused and told PACT leaders they’d have to rescind the award, which they did.
PACT executive director Akemi Flynn and board member Marci Gerston on Wednesday said the organization is committed to “deep listening” and dialogue with people from all perspectives on the situa- tion.
‘This situation allowed us to listen to people about an issue that’s deeply important to them,” Gerston said. “We have this opportunity to enter into dialogue to understand that pain.”
Nearly 40 community organizations and individuals signed a letter, asking PACT to apologize to Billoo and reinstate the award. Ruth Silver-Taube, supervising attorney at Santa Clara University’s Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center, wrote the letter.
“Zahra is the least antiSemitic person you could ever meet,” Silver-Taube, who is Jewish, said in an interview. “She’s there wherever there’s injustice. She’s so dedicated and actually speaks out against antiSemitism.”