Faces of Muslim ‘Abandon Biden’ movement accused of wife beating, Hamas links

WASHINGTON — A campaign calling on Muslim-Americans to oppose President Biden’s re-election bid over his support for Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip includes men accused of spousal abuse and ties to the Hamas terror group, as well as one advocate of whipping as a form of punishment, The Post has learned.

The leaders of the “Abandon Biden” movement piled onto a Hampton Inn stage Saturday in Dearborn, Mich., to slam the 81-year-old commander-in-chief for not forcing Israel to halt its incursion in response to the murders of 1,200 people — including 33 Americans — Oct. 7.

Among the group was Hassan Shibly, whose ex-wife Imane Sadrati alleged “violent” physical abuse in a GoFundMe post, leading to Shibly’s resignation as chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Florida chapter. His alleged misconduct was the subject of an NPR investigation in April 2021.

Shibly also faced abuse claims from a second woman, Kyla McRoberts, who told NPR “he stole my self-worth” — at one point cutting off her ponytail while she slept as punishment for her posting a photo of herself not wearing a hijab.

Another speaker, Khalid Turaani, was sanctioned by Israel in 2020 for serving as a board member of the group IPALESTINE, which the Israel government alleged “belongs to Hamas.” The sanctions forbade financial transfers to Turaani.

Tom Facchine, another speaker, last month publicly defended lashings as punishment under Islamic law, or sharia — saying it was more humane than prison.

“If I get 70 lashes for something, I walk home to my children and to my wife and I’m done,” Facchine said.

“What happens here if I’m a felon? I’m locked away for years. My children are punished for it. My wife is punished for it, my family is punished for it,” he went on.

“Which system is barbaric again? … sharia is much more merciful, it is much more flexible, and it is a much more humane system of law than anything the world has ever seen.”

Still another anti-Biden activist, Hazim Nasaredden, wrote on Facebook one day after the Oct. 7 attack, using the Hamas code for the assault: “[Operation] Al-Aqsa [S]torm is the inevitable consequence of continued Israeli oppression of the free men and women of Gaza, the illegal demolition of peoples homes in Jerusalem, and the relentless attacks on the sanctity of Masjid Al-Aqsa.

“I stand with my fellow brothers and sisters who continue to fight for the freedom of all Palestinians and more importantly the freeing of Masjid Al-Aqsa for every Muslim around the world,” he added.

In 2021, Nasaredden tweeted, “In A Free And Fair Elections [sic] In Palestine, The Resistance Movement (HAMAS) Would Not Only Control Gaza, But The West Bank As Well.”

A pro-Biden Democratic operative pointed out the extensive personal baggage of the event’s featured speakers.

Polling data indicate that there is indeed growing pullback from Biden among both Arab and Muslim Americans, but the Democratic operative said that the leaders’ resumes disqualify them as credible political voices.

“Beltway reporters are so eager to turn a protest in someone’s living room into a big problem for Joe Biden they don’t bother doing just the basic homework — and then you get a situation like this,” he said.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), an outspoken defender of Israel, added: “The handful of insular events we’ve seen — some of which have unfortunately crossed into the territory of antisemitism — are short-sighted and pale in comparison to the work being done [by Biden] to bring Americans home.” 

Shibly told The Post that he denies abuse allegations made against him by his ex-wife and by McRoberts, claiming: “NPR did me dirty.”

“Seeing the response [to the Abandon Biden movement] by those diehard Biden supporters is utterly disgusting and it’s also hypocritical because Biden himself has allegations against him — you know, there’s plenty out there. But it seems like these allegations are only given weight depending on the person’s political stance,” he added.

Shibly said that he considered suing the public radio outlet, though he did not do so within the two-year timeframe typically required by state law.

He provided The Post with family court documents showing that his ex-wife’s request for a restraining order was denied in March 2021 after she requested the matter be dismissed. The court ruled that there was no grounds in the initial complaint to find Sadrati was in immediate danger.

“The fact that my detractors are bringing up old, discredited, defamatory attacks that are years old against me, instead of addressing the issue at hand, just reflects poorly on them. This isn’t about me. And this isn’t about the messenger,” Shibly added.

“What’s relevant is, every single day, 175 Palestinian children are being blown up to pieces with American weapons by Israel.”

Sadrati could not immediately be reached for comment. Her 2020 GoFundMe drive raised more than $34,000. In a Facebook post dated Nov. 8, she wrote that she and Shibly have “move[d] past our differences and co-parent our children (now teenagers)… in the past possible way.”

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In apparent reference to the Gaza conflict, she wrote that “what’s happening in this world” is “a sign that we need to renew our faith and seek forgiveness from the ones that we might have hurt.”

Shibly also provided a taped conversation that he said was with McRoberts — who was booked in a Kentucky jail at the time — in which she said “I’m sorry for what happened” when he asked her why she was “lying about me.”

A relative of Turaani’s was reached by The Post and agreed to relay a request for comment. The Post was unable to reach Facchine or Nasaredden.

Although some of the leaders of the group of anti-Biden activists are scandal-plagued, there is reason for the White House to worry about the impact of Muslim and Arab voters, particularly in swing states such as Michigan.

Pollster John Zogby told The Post that surveys show trouble ahead for Biden, who only narrowly defeated then-President Donald Trump in states such as Michigan in the last election.

“Arab Americans and Muslim Americans jumped big-time into the Democratic Party…. So this is a dramatic turnaround by both groups,” Zogby said.

About two-thirds of the more than 2 million Arab Americans are Christians whose families immigrated from the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and other countries in the region.

Prominent Arab-American Christians of Palestinian descent include former Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) who revealed in October that several young relatives of his were among the dead after Israel bombed a building adjacent to a historic Gaza church where they were sheltering.

There are about 3.5 million Muslim Americans, including large non-Arab groups from South Asia, Iran and other countries.

A nationwide October poll conducted by Zogby found that Arab voters were abandoning Biden in droves — though most disaffected Arabs are not expected to back Trump, who imposed stiff travel restrictions on some Middle Eastern countries early in his administration.

Only 17% of Arab Americans surveyed said they planned to vote for Biden in 2024 — compared to 59% who said they supported him in 2020.

“The sense is that the Biden administration just went way too far this time in embracing Israel,” said Zogby, who added that anti-Biden sentiment over the war was “not a fringe” viewpoint.

When asked if the president could get voters back on his side, Zogby said: “I can’t predict, but I don’t see how.

“Given the charged-up sentiment at this moment, it’s hard for me to imagine ‘Oh, well, you know, that was back then, but I like him on the other issues.’ I don’t think so.”