Michigan Governor-elect Jocelyn Benson has appointed a Nation of Islam leader who has repeatedly promoted anti-Semitic rhetoric and defended the group’s controversial leader, Louis Farrakhan, to his gubernatorial transition team. A few months ago, the Anti-Semitism Alliance removed him from its advisory group over the same relationship.
Benson, a Democrat, defeated Republican Rep. John James in Tuesday’s gubernatorial election and selected Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad to serve on her 15-member transition committee. The team also includes Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and several other prominent Michigan Democrats.
Muhammad announced the appointment in a Facebook post and said the transition team will help Benson prepare her policy priorities before taking office. “With three consecutive Democratic victories, the opportunity to provide resources and opportunities will increase,” he wrote.
But Muhammad’s appointment comes amid condemnation by Jewish organizations for many of his comments and associations. He is the “student minister” of the Islamic State organization and claims to be a disciple of Farrakhan. Farrakhan has made a number of disturbing anti-Semitic remarks, including comparing Jews to “termites” and calling Adolf Hitler a “great man.”
This summer, the Campaign to Combat Anti-Semitism, a coalition of about 700 organizations, removed Muhammad from its inaugural mayoral advisory committee after the Washington Free Beacon reported on his ties to the Nation of Islam and his support for Farrakhan.
“CAM recently learned that Mayor Mohamed holds a position and affiliation that is inconsistent with CAM’s mission,” a spokesperson said at the time. “As a result, CAM has decided that he will no longer serve as a member of the board and has been notified accordingly.”
The group said it “will not work with anyone who delegitimizes the Islamic State,” citing its “notorious record of anti-Semitism.”
According to the Free Beacon, Muhammad repeatedly defended Farrakhan and promoted his speeches. In July 2020, after Farrakhan referred to Jews collectively as “Satan” in a sermon, Muhammad posted a photo of the Nation of Islam leader with the caption: “However, no one talks about him publicly out of fear of the Jews.”
In a May podcast interview with other members of the Islamic State group, Muhammad repeatedly mentioned “enemies” while discussing the book “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,” which asserts that pro-Israel interests have a malign influence on U.S. foreign policy.
“They have strength, they have money, they have power, they have influence,” Mohammed said.
Muhammad also promoted Islamic State literature claiming that Jews played a central role in the transatlantic slave trade. He cited the Nazi state-sponsored series of violent pogroms known as Kristallnacht to describe alleged attacks on black Muslim businesses, referring to what he called “the ongoing Kristallnacht for Jews and Gentiles.”
Additionally, Muhammad promoted the Nation of Islam’s “Muslim Plan,” which called for racial segregation and stated that “miscegenation or racial mixing should be prohibited.” Muhammad described the plan as the “ultimate solution” to America’s “race problem.”
His relationship with Farrakhan goes beyond public recognition. Mohammed credited the Islamic State leader with helping launch his political career and said Farrakhan encouraged him to run for mayor and promised to “get the entire country behind” his campaign. Mohammed also said Farrakhan advised him in 2019 to turn down an invitation to visit Israel as part of a peace mission.
Despite the controversy, Benson maintained a relationship with Muhammad. The two described themselves as old friends, and Mohammed said in an interview in August that they had developed a relationship “beyond politics.” Benson publicly thanked him in her primary victory speech and displayed his support on her campaign website. She also spoke at the Juneteenth prayer breakfast hosted by Muhammad in Benton Harbor last year.
Muhammad is also running with Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul-Sayed, a far-left Democrat whose ties to controversial anti-Israel activists, Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic State group figures have come under scrutiny during his Senate campaign.
The transitional appointment could put Benson, who will succeed two-term Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, at odds with Jewish groups that have warned against legalizing the Islamic State. It also raises questions about the judgment behind her choice as she prepares to lead a politically competitive country with a large Jewish population.