Amandalynn Jones

U.S. News

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Three Claps for Women’s March Founder Teresa Shook

Teresa Shook, a founder of the Women’s March, called on Linda Sarsour to resign as co-chair of the organization, something more prominent voices in that movement should be doing.

Here is an excerpt from Shook to the organization she founded:

The co-chairs have steered the Movement away from its true course. I have waited, hoping they would right the ship, but they have not. In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs. I call for the current Co-Chairs to step down and to let others lead who can restore faith in the Movement and its original intent. I stand in Solidarity with all the Sister March Organizations, to bring the Movement back to its authentic purpose.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the Women’s March will not be taking that advice, as they fired back at Shook almost immediately on their Facebook page:

Today, Teresa Shook weighed in, irresponsibly, as have other organizations attempting at this moment to take advantage of our growing pains to try and fracture our network. Groups that have benefited from our work but refuse to organize in accordance with our Unity Principles clearly have no interest in building the world our principles envision. They have not done the work to mobilize women from diverse backgrounds across the nation. Our ongoing work speaks for itself. That’s our focus, not armchair critiques from those who want to take credit for our labor.

That is a shame because the Women’s March has some important ideas, but it is hard to take them seriously when they have Sarsour at the top of their leadership ranks.

After all, Sarsour is a woman who said that Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who was a victim of female genital mutilation, escaped brutal conditions, and now must travel with bodyguards 24/7, deserves to have her vagina taken away because Sarsour doesn’t agree with her worldview.

She also paid tribute recently to Imam Siraj Wahaj, a man who was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and said homosexuality is a disease.

Sarsour praised Assata Shakur, a convicted cop killer, who escaped prison and fled to Cuba, where she has been hiding out for almost 40 years.

And, of course, there’s her recent lunacy, which was calling for “Jihad” against President Trump and the American government.

Sarsour later claims about this, that she would never advocate violence and was instead referring to the literal definition of a struggle as opposed to the widely accepted definition of violent overthrow, are so ridiculously disingenuous, that I’d laugh if it wasn’t so pathetic. Remember, she’s incredibly peaceful, except when she’s lauding the actions of a convicted cop-killer, an accomplice in a bombing, or cheering on Palestinians throwing rocks at Israelis as a profile in courage on Twitter.

Essentially, Sarsour’s nonsensical claim about what she “really” meant when she said “Jihad” has just as much credibility as the president of an organization who hates gay people trying to claim that he was talking about a pile of sticks when he yelled out the word “fagot.”

Linda Sarsour in 2016. (Festival of Faiths)

I don’t know why elements of the Women’s March have embraced Sarsour.

Maybe it is because she is a loud voice against a president they hate.

Maybe it is because she is considered to be a member of an oppressed minority group, so people are afraid to call her on her insanity.

Maybe it is because some of these people actually agree with her.

Maybe it is a combination of all of the above.

Whatever the reason, she’s a pretty terrible person, and CNN’s Jake Tapper, who called Sarsour out for her horrific misdeeds and was labeled a member of the “alt-right” for his troubles because that’s the only defense Sarsour has in her repertoire since her actions are obviously indefensible, was 100% correct when he publicly shamed her for her disgusting displays of anti-Antisemitism and hatred.

Sarsour’s words and actions speak for themselves and I do not care which God she prays to or which country she comes from, she is terribly and dangerously wrong in every way.

And no matter what some people in the Women’s March have talked themselves into, she does not represent progress for women. She represents hatred and violence.

Teresa Shook finally realized this and bravely decided to open her mouth about it.

The sooner others in the Women’s March movement open their eyes like Shook and properly shun Sarsour for the intolerant bigot she truly is, the better off they will be as an organization and as human beings.