Actress and liberal activist Alyssa Milano, whose credits include Who’s the Boss?, Melrose Place, Charmed, My Name is Earl, Mistresses, and Insatiable, and who in 2017 re-launched #MeToo movement, announced last week that she won’t be taking part in the next Women’s March because anti-Zionist, Islamist activist Linda Sarsour is, The Advocate reported.
Milano became aware of Sarsour’s caustic influence on liberal women’s politics when she was a panelist at a political event in Los Angeles last month and was challenged by rightwing reporter Laura Loomer: “You are friends with Linda Sarsour, and both of you ladies have positioned yourselves as speakers and representatives of the #MeToo movement. […] I want to ask you right now to disavow Linda Sarsour because she is a supporter of Sharia law. And under Sharia law, women are oppressed, women are forced to wear a hijab.”
Loomer continued: “My question is, will you please disavow her because she is advocating for Sharia law?”
Milano denied the charge, saying, “She’s not. But thank you so much for your question.”
Eventually, Loomer was escorted out of the event, and later posted a story calling Milano “liar and fraud.”
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Linda Sarsour is the child of Arab immigrants from Judea and Samaria. She has been condemned for praising Rasmea Odeh, who in 1969 murdered two Israeli civilians in a bombing. She used vile, pornographic language in attacking Somali-born activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Brigitte Gabriel. She is also a zealous supporter of the BDS movement.
But Milano did end up disavowing Sarsour, not so much for the Sharia and the hijab, but over her support for Nation of Islam hatemonger Louis Farrakhan.
Referring to the refusal of Women’s March leaders to condemn Farrakhan’s recent anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks (Women’s March co-chair Tamika Mallory sat in the audience when Farrakhan declared: “The powerful Jews are my enemy.”) Milano told The Advocate: “Any time that there is any bigotry or anti-Semitism in that respect, it needs to be called out and addressed. […] I’m disappointed in the leadership of the Women’s March that they haven’t done it adequately.”
Linda Sarsour defended Mallory on her Facebook page, accusing her detractor of “trashing a strong black woman and holding her accountable for the words of a man is not the way to bring people together.”
Milano is determined not to speak at the next Women’s March if Sarsour or Mallory are invited to the podium.
“I would say no at this point. Unfortunate that none of them have come forward against him at this point. Or even given a really good reason why to support them,” she said.