WASHINGTON: The White House has called on three Republican senators to apologise to Adeel Mangi, a Biden administration judicial nominee, for unleashing “cruel and Islamophobic attacks” on the Muslim lawyer.

Mr Mangi, a US citizen of Pakistan origin, would be the first Muslim American judge on the federal appeals court if confirmed.

The controversy centres around the December confirmation hearing during which Republican Senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Tom Cotton of Arkansas questioned Mr Mangi’s views on the Hamas raids in Israel on Oct 7.

Their criticism led to a broader attack on Mr Mangi from a conservative judicial advocacy group, the Judicial Crisis Network.

The network claimed that Mr Mangi, while serving on the board of advisors at the Rutgers Law School Center for Security, Race, and Rights, allegedly taught students to “hate Israel and America” and to “support global terrorism.”

Further accusations claimed that Adeel Mangi blamed America for the 9/11 attacks and, more recently, accused Israel of responsibility for the Hamas raids — charges Mr Mangi’s supporters, including US lawmakers, have rejected as baseless.

A White House spokesman Andrew Bates also labelled these criticisms as driven by Islamophobia. In a statement shared with the media, Mr Bates stated: “Mr Mangi has been subjected to uniquely hostile attacks precisely because of his Muslim faith. Senators Cruz, Hawley, and Cotton owe Mr Mangi an apology”

Mr Bates said Mr Mangi “represents the best of America, and when confirmed, he will not only make history — he will make an outstanding judge”.

However, the Republican senators remain opposed to Mr Mangi’s candidacy. A spokesperson for Senator Cotton accused Mr Mangi of “ties to anti-Semites”, while a spokesperson for Senator Cruz claimed the White House “cannot defend Adeel Mangi’s record”.

Senator Hawley’s spokesperson commented that “people who advise pro-terrorist campus groups have no place on the federal bench”.

All three senators cited Mr Mangi’s alleged involvement in the Rutgers Law School Center for Security, Race, and Rights, condemning its decision to host an event on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as per NBC News.

The event featured Sami Al Arian as a speaker, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to conspiracy to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It’s important to note that Mr Mangi was not associated with this event, directly or indirectly.

The Biden administration, in an effort to improve its standing with Arab American communities, nominated Mr Mangi to serve as a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia last fall.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2024