White House Distances Itself from CAIR Leader's Controversial Oct. 7 Remarks

The White House has condemned comments made by Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Director Nihad Awad, who expressed happiness over Gazans invading Israel on October 7. The White House called the remarks "shocking" and "antisemitic," echoing President Joe Biden's condemnation of the attacks as "abhorrent" and "unadulterated evil." Awad claimed his comments were taken out of context and stated that he condemns violence against all civilians. The White House has been vocal in denouncing antisemitism and Islamophobia since the October 7 attacks, while both antisemitic incidents and bias against Muslims in America have reportedly increased.