Senator John Kennedy has sparked backlash after telling an Arab-American activist to “hide her head in a bag” during a hate crimes hearing.

Maya Berry, founder of the Arab American Institute, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to speak about hate crimes in the country.

Advocacy groups say there has been a rise in hate crimes against Muslims, Palestinians and Jews since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, which sparked Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and left more than 40,000 Palestinians dead.

During his questioning, Kennedy repeatedly suggested that Berry supported Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, although it has repeatedly denied this. Berry described his style of questioning as “extremely disappointing.”

On social media, civil rights groups and others condemned Kennedy’s treatment of Berry, and some called for him to be reprimanded.

.@SenJohnKennedy: You support Hamas, don’t you?@AAIUSAMaya Berry: Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support… By asking the executive director of the Arab American Institute this question, are you bringing a lot of focus to the problem of hate in our country? pic.twitter.com/h7WU3ePLOu

— CSPAN (@cspan) 17 September 2024

Newsweek has emailed Kennedy’s office seeking comment. Berry was emailed to the Arab American Institute seeking comment.

“You support Hamas, don’t you?” Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, asked Berry.

“Senator, oddly enough, I want to thank you for that question because it very effectively illustrates the purpose of our hearing today,” she replied before Kennedy interrupted her and asked her to answer yes or no.

She said: “Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support. But the fact that you are asking this question to the executive director of the Arab American Institute brings a lot of focus to the problem of hate in our country.”

“I received your response and I appreciate it (…) You also support Hezbollah, don’t you?” Kennedy then asked, referring to the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group.

“Again, I find this line of questioning extremely disappointing,” Berry said, before Kennedy again interrupted her, pointing out that his time was limited and urging her to answer yes or no.

“The answer is that I do not support violence, neither by Hezbollah nor by Hamas or any other organization that uses it. So no, sir,” she said.

Kennedy continued: “You just don’t have the heart to say no, do you? Do you support or oppose Iran and its hatred of the Jews?”

Kennedy interrupted Berry as she tried to answer. She then said, “As a Muslim woman, sir, I will tell you that I do not support Iran.”

Kennedy then referred to Berry’s previous criticism of Congress for cutting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to Palestinian refugees, after allegations that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 attacks. Berry defended her support for UNRWA’s relief work.

“Let me ask again: You support Hamas, don’t you? You support UNRWA and Hamas, don’t you?” Kennedy asked.

Berry said: “I find it extremely disappointing that you sit across from an Arab-American witness and say, ‘You support Hamas.’ I do not support Hamas.”

Kennedy interrupted her again and said, “You know what disappoints me? You don’t have the heart to say that you don’t support UNRWA, you don’t support Hamas, you don’t support Hezbollah, and you don’t support Iran. You should put your head in a sack.”

Kennedy’s comment elicited a resounding gasp from the audience.

After the exchange, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin asked Berry if she had anything to say.

“It is unfortunate that as I sit here, I have witnessed the very problem we are trying to address today,” she said.

“By enacting a foreign policy, we can ensure the safety of Arab Americans, Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, Black Americans, Asian Americans, or anyone else. This was, unfortunately, a real disappointment, but a clear sign of the danger facing our democratic institutions.”

Durbin, a Democrat, was among those who criticized Kennedy for his comments on social media.

“Political leaders must not fan the flames of hatred and division,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Jewish, Arab, Muslim and Palestinian Americans all have a right to safety.”

Political leaders must not fan the flames of hatred and division. Jewish, Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian Americans *all* have a right to safety. https://t.co/MLTF8l31YE

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) 17 September 2024

The Judiciary Committee supported Berry’s response by sharing it on X and writing, “A Republican Senator told an Arab-American civil rights leader to hide his head in a bag. We will not continue to share this horrific clip. But we WILL continue to share the powerful response from the witness denouncing him.”

Kennedy’s comments were heavily criticized by human rights and advocacy groups.

The Council on American Relations (CAIR) issued a statement condemning the treatment of Berry by Kennedy and others.

“Maya Berry spoke before the committee about hate crimes. Both Ms. Berry and the issue should have been treated with the respect and seriousness they deserve,” said Robert McCaw, CAIR’s director of government affairs. “Instead, Senator Kennedy and others chose to be an example of the bigotry Arabs, Palestinians and Muslims have faced in recent months and years.”

Sheila Katz, executive director of the National Council of Jewish Women, called Berry’s treatment “heartbreaking.”

The “only Muslim witness was confronted with biased questions about her support for Hamas and Hezbollah despite her clear condemnation.” Katz wrote on X“This hearing is meant to combat hate, not perpetuate it. The Senate must do better.”

Heartbreaking scene at a Senate hearing on anti-Semitism, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hatred: The only Muslim witness was questioned in a biased manner about her support of Hamas and Hezbollah, despite her clear condemnation. This hearing should combat hatred, not perpetuate it. The Senate must improve.

— Sheila Katz (@SheilaKatz1) 17 September 2024

Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the group condemns the “discriminatory and vitriolic attack” on Berry.

“Using a hearing on the disturbing rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Semitic hate crimes to launch personal and discriminatory attacks on an expert witness they invited to testify is both outrageous and inappropriate,” he said. “This type of racist rhetoric should be universally condemned. It has no place in Congress or in politics.”

Some called for a reprimand against Kennedy.

“Arab, Muslim, Jewish and civil rights groups of all stripes have condemned @SenJohnKennedy’s blatantly racist and defamatory attack on a witness at the hearing yesterday,” said Dylan Williams, vice president for government affairs at the Center for International Policy. wrote on X.

“If he does not apologize today, he must immediately expect a reprimand from his colleagues for his shameful behavior.”

Medea Benjamin, an activist and co-founder of the human rights organization Code Pink, wrote that the hearing was “a disgrace. Instead of addressing hatred against Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians, Senators like John Kennedy used the hearing to stoke hatred. He bullied witness Maya Berry and told her to ‘put her head in a bag.’ We demand accountability! The Senate must reprimand Senator Kennedy for this blatant display of Islamophobia!”

Arab, Muslim, Jewish and civil rights groups of all kinds condemned @SenJohnKennedy‘s blatantly racist and defamatory attack on a witness at yesterday’s hearing.

If he does not apologize today, he will face immediate reprimand from his colleagues for his disgraceful behavior. https://t.co/shtYaKhO1w

— Dylan Williams (@dylanotes) 18 September 2024

Journalist Mehdi Hasan said the outcry would have been even greater if a Democratic senator had made similar remarks to a Jewish leader.

“Imagine, just imagine, if a left-leaning Democratic senator had asked a Jewish leader testifying about anti-Semitism whether he supported genocide and then told him to put his head in a sack,” he wrote. “That would be a huge scandal. But it was a Republican and the person was Muslim.”