Free Republic

Embattled Jets rookie Oday Aboushi lashed back yesterday at accusations he is a fundamentalist Muslim who associates with radicals opposed to Israel, labeling the charges “lies and smears.” In an exclusive interview with The Post, the fifth-round pick — a Brooklyn native who is believed to be the first Palestinian-American ever drafted by an NFL team — adamantly denied charges leveled by a conservative website this week that Aboushi is anti-Semitic and uses social media to endorse what they consider Palestinian terrorist groups.

Oday Aboushi has been touted as being the first Palestinian-American player in the National Football League (NFL), but his radical behavior since being drafted by the New York Jets less than three months ago could get him sent home early. His latest infraction was made as he gave a speech at a radical Muslim conference sponsored by a group denying Israel’s right to exist and associated with blatantly anti-Semitic and terrorist propaganda. ... Only weeks after the draft, Aboushi tweeted the following: “65th anniversary of the Nakba and palestinians all across the world are still thriving.” For persons unaware of...

Oday Aboushi leads a double life. On the one hand, he is an American football player with professional-level athletic skills. On the other, he is a fundamentalist Muslim with radical associations and a heritage that pushes him towards a destructive world of violence and hate. When the New York Jets football team chose Oday Aboushi with the eighth pick of the fifth round of the April 2013 NFL Draft (141st pick overall), the organization knew that it was getting an elite player who could wreak havoc on the field – one of the top offensive linemen in the entire draft....