Former State Department Official Arrested for Harassing Muslim Vendor
A former high-ranking US government official has been taken into custody after a video captured him verbally attacking a halal food vendor in New York City, labeling the vendor as a “terrorist” and stating that the death of 4,000 Palestinian children in Gaza “wasn’t enough”.
Stuart Seldowitz, 64, who previously served as deputy director of the US State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, is facing charges of aggravated harassment, hate crime stalking, stalking causing fear, and stalking at a place of employment, the New York police reported.
The incident involved multiple anti-Islamic statements that led the victim, a 24-year-old male halal food vendor, to feel afraid and annoyed after Seldowitz approached him at his workplace on several occasions, the police revealed.
Video footage of the altercations between Seldowitz and an Egyptian vendor at a halal cart in Manhattan has gone viral, sparking outrage and condemnation of Seldowitz’s behavior.
One particularly disturbing exchange caught on video shows Seldowitz saying, “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, it wasn’t enough,” followed by further derogatory remarks directed at the vendor.
This man wearing a green jacket was berating and harassing a halal cart vendor off 83rd and 2nd Ave in NYC. Does anyone know who this man is? Planning to report to the authorities. pic.twitter.com/GwklyXpsPH
— Layla 🪬 (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
In other instances, Seldowitz is heard making offensive remarks about Prophet Muhammad and threatening to use his government connections to involve Egypt’s secret police against the vendor.
Seldowitz held positions such as the acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate under the former President Barack Obama administration, and a senior political officer in the State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs.
In response to the incident, New Yorkers showed their support for the vendor by lining up at the food cart in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and the Street Vendor Project described the scene as a powerful display of solidarity against anti-Muslim hate.
A moving scene as New Yorkers from all walks of life come together to support Mohamed, Sam and their coworkers on 83rd & 2nd Ave, taking a stand against anti-Muslim hate
Sitting around a folding table provided by an UES neighbor, sharing halal chicken over rice & building bonds pic.twitter.com/6tC2nmEfX2
— Street Vendor Project (@VendorPower) November 22, 2023
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has led to a surge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic sentiments in the US, prompting widespread protests in support of both Israel and Palestine.
When asked about the incident, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized the country’s opposition to any form of racist or discriminatory language.
