Florida Hotel Cancels Muslim Group’s Meeting after Receiving 100 Calls Claiming Event Was Antisemitic

A Muslim coalition was accused by a protest group of supporting Hamas, terrorism, and antisemitism, leading the South Florida Marriott Hotel to abruptly cancel the organization’s convention.

The Marriott Coral Springs Hotel and Convention Center informed the South Florida Muslim Federation, a collaboration of around thirty mosques and Islamic organizations, on Friday that it was canceling its conference due to security concerns. The Marriott had received 100 calls requesting that the group be excluded. The second annual conference was anticipated to gather over a thousand attendees this weekend.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, which led to Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip and the current conflict, hotels in Arizona and Virginia have also canceled Muslim gatherings. Additionally, Florida banned a group of students who support Palestine from attending state colleges.

According to Federation President Samir Kakli, Marriott’s decision “came out of nowhere and was a shock to the entire South Florida Muslim community.” He claimed that the Coral Springs Marriott has hosted sizable conferences, weddings, and other events for a number of Muslim families and organizations without any problems.

Kakli said that his organization employed private security guards and Coral Springs police officers for protection even prior to Marriott voicing security concerns. He said he was rejected when he promised Marriott the federation would recruit additional people.

Kakli said that hotel management brought up the memory of the Parkland school tragedy that claimed the lives of 17 people six years before. The hotel is located just west of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Kakli said, “They said it just takes one person, like what happened in Parkland.” According to him, the organization hopes to hold the conference at a different location shortly.

He said, “We’re going to get up and carry on with the work we’ve been doing, which is to exercise our right to freedom of religion and come together as a community for our family-friendly, peaceful events.”

The Coral Springs Police Department said on Friday that while it was not aware of any threats, it had discussed conference security with Marriott representatives and was concerned about it.

“Due to the current political climate, it was our recommendation to completely secure the hotel to provide for a safe event, which would take a tremendous amount of resources based on previous experience,” the agency said in a statement. We would not be able to guarantee that every job requested could be manned for the full 36 hours of coverage due to the needed resources. In the end, the cancellation was decided by Marriott.

When contacted by phone and email on Friday, the corporate offices of the hotel company and the Coral Springs Marriott declined to comment.

The protest leader Joe Kaufman accused Kakli and his coalition partners of aiding and abetting terrorism, including the Hamas attack. Kaufman organized the demonstration against the conference. He said that several of the speakers scheduled for the conference had advocated for the destruction of Israel and made antisemitic remarks.

Kaufman, who has long been against various Islamic organizations, maintained that he is not against Muslims but rather anybody who he feels encourages antisemitism.

“The speakers are not the only thing that worries us. Kaufman said on Friday, “Our concern is with the organization and its leadership.”

Kakli refuted claims that he or his organization support antisemitism or terrorism. According to him, Muslims who criticize Israel, the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and how it treats Gaza are often accused of doing so in order to undermine them and their views.

“Kaufman has been using these terms for the last fifteen years. Similar to stereotypes used against other groups of color, these are anti-Muslim stereotypes. They are openly utilized to categorize every member of our community as terrorists, according to Kakli.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations-Florida’s Wilfredo Ruiz said that the cancellation of the conference by Marriott and other actions are a part of a “holistic effort” throughout the state by Governor Ron DeSantis and private companies to stifle criticism of Israel.

He cited the recent state action that forbade Students for Justice in Palestine from operating on public university campuses and the termination of Muslim physicians by Florida hospitals for their support of the Palestinian cause.

“This is not how we are meant to live in America, where the Constitution protects our right to free expression. We feel as if we are in a foreign nation,” Ruiz said.