Sekulow

Will Haynes: Today on Sekulo, protest erupts in New York against the mayor from the radical left.
Guest (Male): Keeping you informed and engaged now more than ever. This is Sekulo. We want to hear from you. Share and post your comments or call 1-800-684-3110. And now your host.
Will Haynes: Welcome to Sekulo. Will Haynes here joined in studio by Jordan Sekulo. Later on in the broadcast, we're going to have Senator Bill Hagerty from Tennessee. You won't want to miss that as he breaks down where he sees the midterms going as well as some of the policy issues that should be front and center. But Jordan, this is one of those stories you love to see because after spending all of this time yesterday talking about how egregious and disgusting the statement that the mayor of New York put out on October 7th about the the way that he tied war crimes and tried to equate Hamas and Israel, but yet almost make Hamas the victim of October 7th and the aftermath of that. And we spent plenty of time. If you watch that broadcast and we have an article up at aclj.org about why words matter in times like these, but you don't love to see the disrespect that was shown at this vigil because there was a vigil for the victims of October 7th held last night in New York City. And the mayor attended. So you that is something that he should have done. However, there were protests not from people thinking it was disrespectful of him being there. From the radical left for him they're chanting that he's guilty of genocide because he showed up at a at a vigil for people that were killed.
Jordan Sekulow: Yes. I mean, I think this yes, 100% it said he showed up at all for Jews. And they showed it for all four Israeli Jews who were killed on October 7th. He wasn't speaking, I don't think at this this it was just he attended just like and again, this is after he put out a statement that was very short on what happened to the Israelis on October 7th and what Hamas did. And very long, if you look at the statement on how horrible the Israeli response has been in the the terminology he uses. But this is how radical his own base is. If you even show up to acknowledge that what happened on October 7th was wrong and that you believe that because of that you had an Israeli response that you also believe was over the top and wrong also that you can't even be there. You can't show any any kind of solidarity with people who you acknowledged on October 7th were attacked, was a terror attack. And you can again stay it still look at his statement. He still thinks what Israel did in response was much worse, but he's you cannot appease that radical left that he is the he's been crowned the new leader of you know, he's a proclaims himself as a socialist. And they had chance ready to go against him.
Will Haynes: Once again, I I think and we'll play these chants in the next segment. But when we talk about this and we've said, hey, when they say from the river to the sea, believe them. When they make genocidal statements, believe them.
Jordan Sekulow: Yeah.
Will Haynes: This is the perfect example because the mayor just went to a vigil for people that died on the deadliest day.
Jordan Sekulow: Outside outside City Hall, so outside his office.
Will Haynes: Right. The deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. That's what yesterday marked. That was the vigil that they were there for. And people showed up not just with Palestinian flags, Hezbollah flags, signs that said we stand in solidarity with Iran, signs that held up fallen Hezbollah leaders that they were mourning at this vigil, Hamas flags. So when they say things like from the river to the sea, it's not just a slogan, it's not just some lefty hippie college student. It is genocidal terroristic language. And they mean it. So much so that their poster boy that they got elected as the mayor of New York City is no longer radical enough for them because he showed up where constituents were mourning the death of Jews and Israelis and Americans on October 7th. This is real, folks. And we're going to get more into it in the next segment. As I said, you love to see it from Andami getting a taste of what reality is. I don't think it 's going to change anything. If anything, it may make him more radical. But we'll break it all down in the next segment on Sekulo and support the work of the ACLJ at aclj.org.
Guest (Male): The challenges facing Americans are substantial. At a time when our values, our freedoms, and our constitutional rights are under attack, it's more important than ever to stand with the American Center for Law and Justice. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedoms, defending your rights in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success. But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms. That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at aclj.org where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today. aclj.org
Guest (Female): Welcome to the all new ACLJ app. Expert analysis and insight big tech can't censor. Customize your news and get real-time alerts on the issues you care about. Advocacy is now at your fingertips. Take action, make a difference, support the causes you care about with just one tap. Be the first to know. Breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox. Everything you need all in one place. Stay informed, stay empowered. Download today. We are so excited to announce the ACLJ's brand new app completely redesigned to provide you with the best tools available to partner with us at the ACLJ. You can watch the daily Sekulo program, sign the petitions, customize your ACLJ membership experience, donate with the click of a button, and receive up to the minute critical updates that the mainstream media can't censor. Just scan the QR code on your screen or go to your phone's app store, search ACLJ, and click install. It's that simple.
Will Haynes: Welcome back to Sekulo. And this is a a story that I was not expecting to develop last night after we spent so much time talking about the statement that the mayor of New York put up on October 7th and how how tepid it was and how it undid all the goodwill that he may have gotten just a week before with his combating antisemitism strategy that was released and where he spent about a quarter of his post morning October 7th dedicated to October 7th. And then he spent about three fourths of it, three quarters of it going after Israel and the United States. I thought that was as low as it could get yesterday on October 7th. It's like everyone said, can we just have a day that you don't have to be anti-Israel and anti-American? Can you just have one day, mayor? And then you know, he did a mayoral thing and he went to the vigil that was outside City Hall. And we can play some of this. This is what he was met with at this candlelight vigil bite one.
Jordan Sekulow: So can you hear that and if you're watching, I mean, he's got a very stoic look on his face. Clearly, I don't think he wanted to be there to begin with, but clearly all his supporters are now turning on him chanting things like traitor, traitor, come on out. You sold all your people out. There also were chants of Mandami, you can't hide. We charge you with genocide. The man has been the mayor of New York since January 1st of this year and has done nothing but try and arrest Bibi Netanyahu, threaten things and make it worse for American Jews in the city of New York. But yet Jordan, if you even acknowledge October 7th was a thing, it appears those that chant from the river to the sea are going to come after you because they mean it. Yeah, and I think what probably angered them was language that we think was actually the wrong language to use. You know, he I think you could when he condemned the war crimes by Hamas, that that again kind of legitimizes Hamas as this military group. We talked about that before as as a as a real as not just a right instead of a terror group that is controlled by Iran. So even in that statement, yes, they they committed war crimes and other other acts that were illegal. He left it at that. And he he went on that long statement about how but the the crimes didn't end there and the suffering didn't end there. And it was all blame Israel. But I think for this crowd, the fact that he even acknowledged that Palestinian Muslims did something really bad on October 7th. Whether you think they were justified by taking any kind of action against Israelis or not, the action that they did take crossed the line to acknowledge in his statement. That alone will was way too much for these radical pro-Palestinian protesters. A lot of them white kids, not all of them, but a lot of them white kids who have probably never been to that region of the world, but are ready to call him a traitor because his statement wasn't all about Palestinians and it didn't justify it wasn't pro-Hamas. It didn't justify the actions of Hamas. He never used the word terror. He didn't call it terrorism. He called it a war crime. And
Will Haynes: No. Which which legally has a very big distinction. War crimes there there are international conventions. It is two state actors. That also infers that Hamas was engaged in legitimate conflict and went too far.
Jordan Sekulow: Yes. Right in some actions. It would be like, you know, you can go to war and not all of the war that you've conducted the war is horrible is a war crime. There can be aspects where a certain brigade or division is found in in courts. And as we look at those look at tribunals after a wars come to a close, they found that, you know, certain generals or leadership may have been conducting activity that leads to a war crimes designation. That doesn't mean the entire war and the entire military or the entire nation was guilty of war crimes. It's interesting that he uses that because then if you flip that on on Israel, how can you take such an anti-Israel Jewish position if you believe that well, it was just some of actions by Hamas or war crimes. Well, then what about Israel? You're just saying that some of them were were war crimes and other parts of it were legitimate defense of of their own people who were attacked on October 7th. They didn't start the attacking. They were attacked. They responded. They're a much bigger, stronger military. And as they said this, they can never allow this to happen again, the never again kind of thing. If you're going to hit countries that have a real militaries, if you're going to hit them hard, they're going to hit you back much harder.
Will Haynes: Well, and this is it is shocking to see that one No.
Jordan Sekulow: Can't even acknowledge. I mean, you say with a smile because he's living in this this like
Will Haynes: Reality.
Jordan Sekulow: post-genocidal world where you can't even acknowledge that on one side there was something wrong too. That you have to be so pro-Hamas, so pro-Palestinian that anything they did, any of the children they killed, any of the people they kidnapped, any of the rape they carried out, anything that they the videos they put out, the executions that you can condemn any of that. You can only condemn Israel's actions and stand with the Palestinian people. And that's why at this at these these these people who attended this counter protest were we're not just waving Palestinian flags, but Hezbollah. And Hamas Hezbollah and yeah, and Hamas flags in the streets of New York City on a day when Hamas killed the most Jews in one day since the Holocaust.
Will Haynes: Well, and once again, and they had signs that said liberation in action and had silhouettes of paragliders in October 7th. So yes, the these individuals that were there
Jordan Sekulow: They were pro what happened.
Will Haynes: They are pro October 7th. They are pro terror. And I think that's what's that we also can't lose here is the mayor is probably going to make this out. He's been very good with PR. He's been very savvy as a politician. He's going to use this moment to be like, look, I'm a moderate. You know, people on the right that are very extreme that are are pro Israel, they don't like me. They didn't like my statement. Wasn't good enough for them. But look, my own constituency says that elected me. Those that are from socialist organizations, they're not happy with me either. Look, I'm just the moderate guy here in New York. So don't don't think he 's going to miss that opportunity as well. That that is definitely in the mayor's playbook to try and spin this and make this a positive for himself. I mean, he clearly didn't look happy to be there. He also decided after this to go to dinner last night at the only Palestinian restaurant on the upper east side. So there's that as well where everything he does seems to be messaging and symbolic of of look, I'm still with you even if I go to the vigil. That was clearly planned out as well. So don't let even the optics as as wild as it is to see him reap what he has sown. One, it's horrific for those that were there to mourn last night. That that is a form of terrorism what those protesters were doing, holding up signs in support of Hezbollah and support of Hamas. That is very much a trying to intimidate psychologically those that are there to hold a candlelight vigil. So for the mayor, you kind of hope that it could be a reckoning moment for him. It won't be. I don't believe that he is going to change or think any differently than he does now. But at the same time, just imagine the people that are there to mourn. It's only three years past that. Imagine on a three years after 9/11 at ground zero people holding up pro Al-Qaeda flags and saying leave Bin Laden alone. I mean, that is the equivalent of what they are doing right there last night and and it's shocking, Jordan.
Jordan Sekulow: Yes, and I I think the idea here it's a lesson when you start working with these these radical groups, you can't go halfway with them. And and you get your you get their support and you get through this primary and you become mayor of very young age by kind of tapping into the radicalism of New York City and young people and protesters. But they're not rational.
Will Haynes: Right.
Jordan Sekulow: They they have chosen a side. And their side is terror groups, whether it's Hamas or Hezbollah or Iran. It's not just the Palestinian people. They've chosen a side in a conflict. So if you choose a side in a conflict, you then can't acknowledge that your side did anything wrong or was the reason the conflict began. And that 's why I think they were so upset that they feel like they've been thrown under the bus. They've been Mandami is already a traitor. This is someone who try it's like he wakes up every day and tries to how can I spew some antisemitism today without it being looking so antisemitic on first read.
Will Haynes: Right. I mean, I think if he were to wear a kafiya and have a Palestinian lapel pin, that wouldn't be enough. That wouldn't be enough.
Jordan Sekulow: I think if he would have not shown up, they may have been okay with that because it was a vigil for the victims of October 7th. It wasn't a vigil for everyone. It was a victim it was a vigil for the the Israeli Jews who were killed and kidnapped on October 7th. If he had not shown up, counter protesters may have been there to protest the the Jews and to kind of try and disrupt things. But they wouldn't have focused their attention on Mandami. You can't have it both ways. You can't demonize the Jewish state of Israel and the people and the Jewish people. And then at the same time expect your supporters to be okay with going to a vigil for those who were targeted on October 7th by Islamic radicals.
Guest (Male): Folks, we will be right back with more on this as well as Cece Hile, senior counsel here at the ACLJ to give an update on an important case out of Pakistan. We will be right back with more. Welcome to the all new ACLJ app. Expert analysis and insight big tech can't censor. Customize your news and get real-time alerts on the issues you care about. Advocacy is now at your fingertips. Take action, make a difference, support the causes you care about with just one tap. Be the first to know. Breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox. Everything you need all in one place. Stay informed, stay empowered. Download today.
Will Haynes: We are so excited to announce the ACLJ's brand new app completely redesigned to provide you with the best tools available to partner with us at the ACLJ. You can watch the daily Sekulo program, sign the petitions, customize your ACLJ membership experience, donate with the click of a button, and receive up to the minute critical updates that the mainstream media can't censor. Just scan the QR code on your screen or go to your phone's app store, search ACLJ, and click install. It's that simple. The challenges facing Americans are substantial. At a time when our values, our freedoms, and our constitutional rights are under attack, it's more important than ever to stand with the American Center for Law and Justice. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedoms, defending your rights in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success. But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms. That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at aclj.org where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today. aclj.org Welcome back to Sekulo. We are joined now by Cece Hile, senior counsel here at the ACLJ and overseas our international work. But Cece, this is a a case many people have followed for quite some time here at the ACLJ as we've been involved with it. Um and there's some celebration, but also some heartbreak that comes with what we're about to discuss. Uh this is a case out of Pakistan. Uh we are going to give you some great news that we've been fighting for and a lot of you ask about all the time, but we're also going to give you an action point of how you can still be praying, getting involved, supporting the ACLJ as the fight is not over. But uh this is the Ayub brothers that were on death row in Pakistan for the blasphemy laws. And I want you to give an update to everyone of of where we are now after yesterday.
Cece Hile: Yes. So I'll just give a little bit more background too just because these two brothers were arrested. Um they were actually charged in 2011. One was arrested in 2014, one was arrested in 2015. And they were arrested for charges of posting blasphemous material online, which during the trial we actually represented Amoon from the very beginning through his whole trial process. And during the trial, they didn't provide any evidence that linked our client to any of these postings at all. And so we went through the whole process of going through the trial court where they got convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. Then we went through the process at the Lahore High Court, the appeal that and then in 2022 that was upheld. So then we went to the Supreme Court. And we've been to the Supreme Court since that 2022 um appeal from the Lahore High Court. And 13 times this case has been scheduled to be heard. And 13 times it was postponed. Finally, finally. And at the Supreme Court, I'll I'll say we actually then took on the brother too. So we then at the during the Supreme Court represented Amoon and Kaiser in this case.
Will Haynes: Right.
Cece Hile: Finally, on July 6th, the Supreme Court heard the arguments. And just this week we got the opinion from the Supreme Court that acquitted Amoon Ayub but sadly upheld the conviction for Kaiser Ayub. So what is interesting about this, this is the first time first time that Pakistan has ever upheld at the Supreme Court of blasphemy conviction. So it's a very very disconcerting um because you know, Pakistan wants to say, oh, we're being more western and and more, you know, democratic. That's right. Absolutely. But yet this is the first time that they've ever upheld a blasphemy conviction. And you have to remember the punishment is death by hanging. So we have one client. We are in victory. He gets to walk free. Now walk free in Pakistan doesn't mean that you're super free. That's right. We have to protect him. The mobs will be after him. So we have to be very discreet um in what we do and getting him out and changing his location and everything else. But the fight doesn't end now for his brother. We have the ability to file a revision petition at the Supreme Court, which is different from our United States State Supreme Court. We actually can find file a revision petition. A larger bench has to hear that.
Will Haynes: Right.
Cece Hile: And we are going to do that because there is no reason that these false blasphemy charges should stand.
Jordan Sekulow: Well, and for people that are more familiar with our legal system, that sounds very much like the appeals court how if a three-judge panel here something, you can ask for an on-bank review where at it still stays in that same court level, which obviously Supreme Court, that's the final quarter of review there in in Pakistan. But it's asking for a broader look at it. It's like similar analogy to the on-bank panel asking a broader panel at the appeals court to hear a case if you believe that you didn't get the outcome you wanted. So I I think one be be thankful, continue to pray for Amoon because of his safety. But imagine that nine years on death row that we and we have been fighting nine years for this this young man who is now grown up on death row. We have achieved victory. That is by God's grace, by the hard work of our attorneys doing all that legal work. But we have the brother who is a more recent client of the ACLJ's. But now we have that opportunity. But it can't just be hoping for the legal system to do the right thing in this review panel. Now we have to make the world hear about this.
Cece Hile: Absolutely. This is like an all-out effort internationally that everyone raises their voices that this cannot stand, that Pakistan cannot enforce this conviction for it literally a false blasphemy charge where there was no evidence. They did not prove their case. They cannot enforce it. That is absolutely ridiculous. And we do we're we're balancing it because we do have the victory on the one hand and I just want to point out just a humanitarian side. Amoon's wife every single week for 11 years she took a train four to five hour ride to the prison, four to five hour ride from the prison every single week for 11 years she visited her husband. And now that sweet woman gets to have her husband back. And that is an amazing victory. But then it also just makes it even more sad for the brother Kaiser. And we have to absolutely every single needs person needs to raise their voice, especially from the international world. This cannot stand.
Jordan Sekulow: Well, explain to folks because they may I just if there's any confusion out there about how one brother gets found and they they throw out the charges, I mean, to including a penalty that would have been the death penalty, so serious. And then one brother, they say, no, he should still be put to death.
Cece Hile: Yes. So we do not have the full opinion, so we don't have that yet. However, I would say there was a difference in the trial court. We represented Amoon all through the trial court. So our defense and our that's right. So the record that gets preserved is different for the two clients. We didn't take on Kaiser the brother until he got to the Supreme Court level and wanted to hire us as well. And so that's what how it is a little bit different. The trial record is different, but truthfully the facts are the same. This that's yes, it was an online post. And that is not a reason for someone to suffer death by hanging. And they never
Will Haynes: even if you are guilty, even if you did say something, a blasphemy charge is this 2026, folks. This shouldn't be a world where people are being hung to death because of something posted online. Not a nuclear power and one that wants to be more friendly with the western world. So you know what? They need to be embarrassed by this. And that's what we're going to do here. And we need your help. So you can support the work of the ACLJ. You can go to aclj.org/sign where you can put your name behind this and you can sign our petition. Cuz where we taking that? We're taking it to the halls of Congress, we're taking it to the White House, we're taking it to the UN. We have a lot of resources here, but we can't do any of it without you. So sign that petition today. And if you can donate to this effort, aclj.org is the place to do it as well. But go to aclj.org/sign sign that petition cuz this is absurd. It's 2026. And even if it's like, yeah, he's guilty of this crime, that shouldn't be a crime. But the reality is is they use these things to keep Christians oppressed. That's all these blasphemy laws are. They are concerned and they want to keep the minority down in their country that happens to be Christians. So Pakistan, you're on notice from the ACLJ and all our members. And Cece, I know that you're going to continue to give us updates, but we got to be loud about this now, folks. We have a great victory that we worked for nine years on that I I don't know a week that's gone by in those nine years that I haven't talked to you or someone else in our office about this case. And that is a wonderful victory for that man even though he suffered injustice for nine years. But his brother still needs our help and we're going to continue until we get justice for him as well. So support our work at aclj.org. Now is the time to do it. It's going to be full court press and the world will hear about this case. Sign the petition at aclj.org today, folks, because we want justice in Pakistan and we can get it with your help.
Guest (Male): For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedoms, defending your rights in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at aclj.org where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today. aclj.org