Muslim Official Resigns for US’ ‘Complicity’ in Gaza Genocide
marking a significant departure within President Joe Biden's administration due to disagreements over the handling of the situation in Gaza.
Maryam Hassanein, 24, the Special Assistant and Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, expressed her inability to continue her role under an administration she believes is “complicit” in the Israeli regime’s “genocide of Palestinians.”
In her statement, Hassanein, who is also the youngest and first Muslim American appointee of the Biden administration, emphasized the administration's disregard for the diverse voices of its staff and the lack of justice for marginalized communities.
“As a Muslim American, I cannot continue working for an administration that ignores the voices of its diverse staff by continuing to fund and enable Israel’s genocide of Palestinians,” she said in a statement.
“Marginalized communities in our country have long been denied the justice they deserve. I joined the Biden-Harris administration with the belief that my voice and diverse perspective would lend a hand in the pursuit of that justice. However, over the past nine months of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, this administration has chosen to uphold the status quo instead of listening to the diverse voices of staff urgently demanding freedom and justice for Palestinians,” she added.
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Hassanein's resignation was met with support from advocates for Palestine, who praised her decision as a principled stand against U.S. support for the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called for President Biden to change course and address the human rights concerns raised by Hassanein and others.
"We welcome this principled resignation by another Biden administration official who took up their post believing they could help the nation, but instead realized they were becoming complicit in the administration's enabling of the far-right Israeli government's genocide in Gaza," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"President Biden, whose administration has lost all credibility on the issue of human rights, must reverse course and end our nation's complicity in genocide, forced starvation, and ethnic cleansing," Awad added. "He must demand an immediate and permanent cease-fire, an end to the occupation, and justice for the Palestinian people."
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The Biden administration has faced criticism for its unwavering support of the occupation regime, even amidst reports by United Nations officials, human rights experts, and certain countries of a genocidal campaign against Gaza's population.
Despite global outcry, the US administration has continued to provide substantial military assistance and diplomatic backing to the Israeli regime.
Source: Agencies
