Philadelphia NAACP President Who Shared Anti-Semitic Meme Faces Calls For Resignation

Last Thursday, Philadelphia NAACP president Rodney Muhammad shared an anti-Semitic meme on his Facebook page depicting the Happy Merchant cartoon next to photos of Black celebrities who were recently criticized for making anti-Semitic comments. Now, he’s facing increased pressure to step down and resign from his position amid growing backlash.

The individuals referenced in the meme include actor and rapper Ice Cube, comedian and actor Nick Cannon and NFL player DeSean Jackson, all of whom have recently faced backlash for sharing conspiracy theories on social media about Jewish people being responsible for the condition of Black Americans. While Ice Cube has only since continued to spread his theory, both Jackson and Cannon have since apologized for their controversial statements online.

The meme uploaded to Muhammad’s Facebook page included the use of Happy Merchant, which has often been used by white supremacist groups to mock Jews alongside the quote, “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” Although misattributed to philosopher Francois Voltaire, the quote actually stems from neo-Nazi Kevin Strom, who was convicted on child pornography charges in 2008.

A reporter with the Billy Penn contacted the civil rights figure and local Nation of Islam leader, Muhammad said, “To be real honest with you, I didn’t even pay attention to the picture.” Shortly after this, he deleted the post and removed it from his Facebook.

On Friday, Interim Director Laura Frank of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia condemned the meme, urging the NAACP to remove Muhammad and have him resign from his position.

If you don’t understand why this image is offensive Rodney Muhammad then you have no business leading a civil rights organization like @PhilaNAACP.https://t.co/rWdhJgFULA pic.twitter.com/WQEg4s9n42

— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) July 24, 2020

“This vile behavior from a civic leader is incredibly dangerous for Jewish communities across the world,” Frank said. “What I see in it is a plea for greater conversation and greater understanding. It certainly sets things back.”

The Philidelphia NAACP Branch then shared a post on Sunday to its Facebook page that stated, “Trolling, hate speech, and demeaning comments will be deleted and users banned. However, having a dialogue is welcomed on this thread.” The post received over 100 comments from several users who criticized their response to the controversy with the top reply reading, “An apology and a change of leadership is needed. You already know.”

Following the backlash and mounting pressure over the weekend for his meme, Muhammad released a statement from the NAACP website on Monday attempting to walk back his post, stating that he was starting a “dialogue around criticism and understanding.”

“It was never my intention to offend anyone or cause any hurt,” he said. “The NAACP strongly condemns any offensive language or imagery and stands against all forms of hate speech and anti-Semitism. I stand with all members of the Jewish faith in the fight for social justice, and I intend to use this opportunity for thoughtful conversations with both the Black and Jewish communities.”