The Ayman I know: A response to “A Letter Too Far”
A recent Letter to the Editor criticizing the Greater Cincinnati Board of Rabbis’ (GCBOR) letter of support for Imam Ayman Soliman demands a response.
The letter’s author posed a question they consider perhaps the most important of all: “Does anyone on this supposed Board of Rabbis even know this guy?”
Here is my answer.
Yes, I am a rabbi (and the daughter of two rabbis), a chaplain and a member of the Board of Rabbis, and I do know Ayman. Do you?
I know Ayman as a colleague and a chaplain. I know how hard he works (often staying late into the evening), how much he cares about people, how kind he is. I know how committed he is to his faith, his community and to justice.
I was once called to support an Arabic-speaking family who was struggling to communicate with hospital staff. The patient was a young boy with a severe and painful illness and the family had traveled across the globe to receive care. I reached out to Ayman and he came upstairs as soon as he was done leading Friday prayers. He put the family at ease, speaking their language, the language of Arabic and the language of their pain. I know that no one else in our department could have provided such care.
I know Ayman worked with families of all backgrounds and had a huge impact on the community. Just ask the patients, families and staff who know him personally or read the many posts on social media and you will see the kind of person he is. I know Ayman and those of us who care for him are terrified he will be deported back to Egypt where he could be killed. Ayman is the kind of person who showed up for us and now we’re showing up for him.
I also know Ayman as the person who took time out of his busy workday to attend my grandfather’s funeral this year.
We who know Ayman know his true story.
Imam Ayman Soliman found refuge in the United States after becoming a target in Egypt for his journalism during the Arab Spring. He was granted asylum and on the road to a green card and bringing his wife and son here. He was flagged by the FBI, because they mixed up his finger prints with someone else’s. He sued the government. He was targeted because he refused to accept discrimination: in retaliation, his asylum was revoked. The accusation of Ayman’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood are unfounded. He was involved with the local branch of a humanitarian charity whose national body has loose ties to the group. There is no evidence that Ayman is remotely involved in terrorism.
I know Ayman is critical of Israel from a place of love for humanity. He is also a critic of Hamas who attended a post-October 7 vigil where he spoke out in condemnation of Hamas terrorism. Ayman engages in respectful dialogue with Rabbinic colleagues, myself and others. I should not have to defend Ayman in this way — it is inappropriate and unfair to co-opt his views on Israel-Palestine in his immigration case.
I have visited Ayman in jail, where I know he continues to face injustice and discrimination. I know he hasn’t seen sunlight or eaten a fruit in over 25 days. Yet despite this, Ayman remains steadfast in his commitment to ministering to others in the jail and holding onto his faith and dignity.
It would be easier to sleep at night if I didn’t know Ayman. I wouldn’t have to worry for him or face the reality that innocent people are put in jail.
But the truth is that Ayman is not broken, the system is.
And any one of us could be in his shoes.
So, yes, I am a member of the GCBOR, and I know Ayman. And I’m not the only one. Ayman is a friend to many rabbis and Jews — Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, politically liberal and conservative, those of other faiths and no faith.
We know Ayman as our friend, our neighbor, our brother.
And now is the time for us as Jews to stand with our Muslim brother and his community.
Now is the time for us to be upstanders.
Now is the time to defend the people we know and refrain from condemning the people we don’t.
Rabbi Shirah Kraus
Cincinnati, OH