Actress Susan Sarandon issued an apology on Saturday for her remarks at a recent pro-Palestinian rally where she said that US Jews fearing for their safety amid a rise in antisemitism “are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.”
Sarandon clarified that she was invited on the day of the New York rally in November to speak and had intended to express her concern about the increase in hate crimes. In her apology, she acknowledged that her phrasing was a “terrible mistake” as it wrongly implied that Jews have been strangers to persecution until recently when the opposite is true. Actress Susan Sarandon
I deeply regret diminishing this reality and hurting people with this comment. It was my intent to show solidarity to the struggle against bigotry of all kinds, and I am sorry I failed to do so,” Sarandon stated.
The actress was dropped by Hollywood talent agency UTA after her previous remarks.
Susan Sarandon’s comments at the pro-Palestinian rally sparked criticism online, with author Asra Nomani expressing her discontent on social media platform X. Nomani, who is Indian American with Muslim heritage, pushed back against Sarandon’s statement, providing her perspective on what it truly feels like to be a Muslim in America.
Nomani shared personal experiences, highlighting that her father did not have to become a second-class indentured servant to tyrants in Muslim countries, and her mother enjoyed living freely in America. She emphasized that being Muslim in the United States offered freedoms that weren’t necessarily available in other Muslim-majority nations. Nomani’s response aimed to counter Sarandon’s comparison and shed light on the diverse experiences within the Muslim community.