U.K. soccer executive Wasim Haq has resigned after massive backlash from a tweet comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.
Haq posted a tweet two weeks ago declaring that “Netanyahu has sacrificed his own people to maintain power…whilst #Palestinians are trying to maintain their sanity. Adolf Hitler would be proud of Benjamin Netanyahu."
Insinuating that the Jewish Prime Minister of a Jewish state would be praised by Hitler is both insane and incredibly offensive.
Haq was an executive at the English Football Association but now he has resigned and is attempting to salvage his public image.
Haq's resignation letter stated, "My comment was a direct criticism of a politician, not about a race or religious group. In expressing those feelings, I chose the wrong words entirely and that has impacted the leadership position I hold at the FA (English Football Association)."
Haq promised in his letter that, "I take full responsibility and reiterate my apology,” while adding that he was "planning a direct personal engagement with the Jewish community to share and understand."
Whether his apology will be accepted by a furious Jewish community remains to be seen. However, it seems highly unlikely that Haq will receive a welcome from them easily.
What makes this situation particularly interesting is the fact that Haq worked for the English Football Association as a representative of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Football Communities.
Haq was a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion worker which makes his antisemitic attack on Netanyahu and the state of Israel even more bizarre.
Haq also worked on the English Football Association's Inclusion Advisory Board which has made many curious as to if Haq is the only individual in the organization who holds seriously antisemitic views.
The English Football Association caught flack following the terrorist attack on Israel after they refused to light the Wembley arch in the colors of the Israeli flag.
Previously, the Wembley Arch has been lit up in recognition of different events like the 2015 terrorist attack in France which led to the Wembley arch being lit up with the French tricolor. The arch was also lit up with rainbow colors following FIFA's decision to ban English football players from wearing the pride flag.
There is no doubt that the English Football Association has a serious problem with Israel and Wasim Haq's outburst was confirmation of those suspicions.
