The Democratic fundraiser in New York that has connections to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a member of the “Squad,” was notified of his anti-Semitic social media posts and placed on administrative leave from his job. (Tlaib-linked fundraiser)
Abul Islam, president of the engineering firm AI Engineers (AIE) in New York, made the announcement that Maher Abdelqader, the vice president of their Big Apple office, would be placed on administrative leave.
Islam made the following statement in his announcement: “Recent news posted on various major media outlets about an officer of AIE, the VP of our New York City Office, may have impacted our reputation as a highly respected consulting engineering firm that has provided services to many public agencies and private clients for the past 31 years.”
The announcement went on to say that AI Engineers “believes in an absolute commitment and respect for all people regardless of color, creed, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or sex.”
“We are proud of our openness and dedication to diversity in all of our internal and external relationships, whether they are with clients, subconsultants, suppliers, or the general public. It went on to say, “Please be assured that we will be taking the appropriate action based on the ongoing due diligence that is being conducted.” (Tlaib-linked fundraiser)
Islam stated that AIE has “immediately placed the individual on administrative leave pending further internal investigation” and that the company “is fully cognizant of the anguish and dismay that such news has caused among some of our clients and employees alike.”
The on-leave vice president of the AIE is an activist who has spread antisemitic conspiracy theories. For instance, she has shared a video in which she says that Jews are “satanic” and control the media, and she also asks if 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust.
Abdelqader also used his Facebook account to promote the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, which targets Israel, and made claims on social media that Jews were not actually from Israel.
A week after a Fox News Digital report revealed that he shared photos on Twitter of himself and New York Governor Kathy Hochul at a Harvard Club fundraiser last month, Abdelqader took a leave of absence from his job.
After contacting the governor’s campaign, Fox News Digital deleted the tweet.
“Governor Hochul strongly condemns antisemitism in any form and has taken decisive action to hold perpetrators accountable and fight back against hate crimes,” Jen Goodman, the campaign spokesperson for Hochul, told the news agency.
Goodman stated, “The governor will continue her tireless efforts to protect the Jewish community from these attacks.” He added, “Antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric are both abhorrent and unacceptable.” (Tlaib-linked fundraiser)
Social media posts reveal that the activist has also campaigned alongside a number of other Democrats over the past year, including Tlaib, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
