Madonna Instagram post of Louis Farrakhan video racks up 700,000 views
Singer has largely escaped criticism for sharing speech from Nation of Islam leader, who has long history of anti-Semitism
Ben Sales is a news editor at The Times of Israel
JTA — In the past few weeks, several celebrities have faced a backlash for sharing statements from Louis Farrakhan.
But one star seems to have escaped notice: Madonna.
On July 4, Madonna posted a video to her Instagram account that was a trailer for a speech by Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader who has spouted anti-Semitic rhetoric over the years, that same day. It has since racked up 710,000 views. Madonna has more than 15 million Instagram followers.
Some of the comments on the video express surprise that Madonna, who has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community and been an enthusiastic proponent of the study of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, would boost a man with a long history of anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ statements.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCPObbRhu1s/
“No no no no no no no this is not a voice you should be sharing,” one commenter wrote. “Much love but good god.”
Several other celebrities have defended or praised Farrakhan and echoed his anti-Semitic rhetoric over the past several weeks. They include NFL player DeSean Jackson, former NBA player turned talking head Stephen Jackson, TV star Nick Cannon, comedian Chelsea Handler and rapper and actor Ice Cube. All but Ice Cube apologized.
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