A candidate for representing District 1 at Lausd’s Education Board, Kahlid al-Alim apologized for social media activity that recently gave birth to control-and inspired the local teachers union to suspend the campaign activities in that race.
Al-Alim, one of the seven candidates for District 1, had clearly made and liked the posts on Twitter, which has been disintegrated as antisemtic; He also followed accounts that were sexually clear in nature, including people promoting women on adult site. The posts were on his individual X account, which has now been removed instead of his campaign website. But a series of screen grabes, which was provided by a consultant to one of the al-Alim’s opponents to the Southern California News Group, seems to have confirmed the sexually explicit accounts they have been confirmed, and showed posts from other accounts and shared on their page which were antisemtic.
When the phone was approached this week, Al-Alim did not deny the posts, but referred to a statement on his campaign website.
In that statement, Al-Alim apologized for the posts that promoted the second section of “The Secret Relationships Bittweight Jews and Blacks” by the controversial chief of the nation of Islam.
Al-Alim said in a statement, “I want to apologize for my positions about the Farrakhan Book.” “I was wrong. I am associated with teachers and community members and have learned about issues since then. I completely save that post. It has no place in our schools. ,
He also apologized for sexually clear material.
“It was unfair,” he said. “I will never do that again.”
But the waiver has not stopped the backlash against the candidate, which stopped the support of the powerful union representing more than 35,000 teachers within the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“Kahlid al-Alim’s social media activities were aggressive, anti-Jewish and unacceptable.” “They are incompatible with the education justice as a decades long organizer seen as Kahlid. Elected leaders should give an example of professionalism and establish a positive example for those they represent. ,
According to that statement, the board of directors of UTLA voted to suspend campaign activities in District 1 during an emergency meeting this week. This step is pending a final decision, according to the statement, and a final vote is on whether to save the support of the Sangh for March 4 – just one day before the state -wide primary election.
It is not clear why this Utla will take, which did not return the request for the comment, to decide whether to cancel the support by 4 March.
It is also not clear what the delayed in cancellation of endorsement can affect the election results, especially because most of the voters will have the possibility of ballot papers through the mail. During the 2020 President Primary, for example, 86% of voters did so through mail. The vote centers will also open around Los Angeles County on Saturday, 24 February.
According to the finance data of the campaign, Utla had donated $ 860,000 to Al-Alim, as well as district 3 supported Scott Schmarelson and District 5 candidate Carla Grigo till 30 January. And Al-Alim was still listed on Utla’s endorsement page till Friday morning.
On that page, Utla calls al-Alim “racial and fighter for economic justice”. Al-Alim has worked in the African American Education Task Force and according to his website, has advocated the construction of the Black Student Achievement Plan.
“Kahleed shares our values and has demonstrated his commitment and ability to lead,” he says the page, “and he will pursue the work in the school board.”
Former UTLA officer Greg Solcovits, who is a full -time substandard teacher with Lausd and the president of the Democrat for Israel Los Angeles, said in an interview that he believed that the Sangh would investigate the dispute and “would do the right thing.”
“Most of the members were shocked,” said Solkovits.
Al-Alim is one of the seven candidates running to make George McCena a member of the Retiring Board in Al-Alim District 1, which moves from the south of the Beverly Hills, wrapped around English and ends in Gardena.
Al-Alim’s campaign website says it wants to stop the school “privatization, restructuring and co-loop” in the district, which has wrestled with the arrival of charter schools sharing the Lausd complexes. Their other priorities include investing in green technology, addressing housing crisis – especially for unheard youth – and supporting immigrant students and communities.
But at least one of his opponents, career teachers and administrator Dwayne Davis has called Al-Alim to suspend his campaign.
Davis wrote on his Facebook page this week, “Shree al-Alim and his ideology behavior is increasing a cancer in our community.” “Hatred with the anti-Jews is aimed at our Jewish neighbors and friends; However, the poison of antisemic ideology destroys all of us. ,
Al-Alim, when arrived on the phone on Wednesday, February 21, he said that he would provide another update on his campaign website on Thursday. But until Friday, that new statement did not come.
“Now,” he said, “We are just going to hold fast until we are not getting all the information, which is walking there. I want to address the whole issue, but not all information.”
Meanwhile, Simon Visanthal Center also condemned Al-Alim for its social media activity, especially supporting those who support the nation of Farakhan and Islam, and accuse Israel in the current war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Los Angeles, a Jewish and Humanitarian Organization, Associate Dean for SWC and Global Social Action Director, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, “A Jewish and humanitarian organization of Los Angeles, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, said,” The nation of Islam published a book rife, in which the nation of Islam published a book rife, in which Jews were accused of Jews, “Islam’s nation published a book rife, Has played a central role in slavery. “It was so dangerous that the late Dr. Herold Brackman, a long -time researcher and Black History specialist has written a book for the Simon Visanthal Center, which makes this candidate a very book debut for the Los Angeles School Board. “
In the screenshot provided to SCNG, they are those who show Al-Alim’s individual X page, with a 2022 post by Farrakhan, reminiscent of the anniversary of Million Man March, which was held by Farrakhan and who attracted hundreds of thousands of people in the National Mall in Washington, DC in 1995, which was to call for American unity.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civilian and human rights organization, considers Farrakhan as an antisemite.
According to the screenshot, another post is clearly shared on Al-Alim’s X account, a lawyer and political activist, called Shola Mos-Shaogbamimu who accuses Israel of massacre against Palestinians.
Israel has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that its goal is to end Hamas, which is a terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip and launched a cruel attack on citizens in Southern Israel on 7 October. During that attack, Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.
Cooper said in his verification, “The Jewish community is already recovering from the tsunami of the anti-Jewish.” “When we admit that Mr. Al-Alim has apologized for his positions, we appreciate the leadership of Utla in sending the right signal to stop support for a candidate, seeking election to be one of the major gatekeepers for the students of Los Angeles Public School. At the time of an increase in the anti-Jewish anti-Jewishism, it is important that people need to be accountable to their actions. ,
Al-Alim, for his share, said in his statement that he had fought against harassment throughout his life.
He said, “I spent my life fighting against all forms of Antisementism, Anti-Arab Hatta, Islamophobia and oppression,” he said. “I have spent my life fighting for the equality of all people. Jews and black people have a very long history that support each other and works in solidarity for justice. I want to continue that important work. ,
Staff writer Chris Higher and Associated Press contributed to the report.