Alicia Keys was forced to do some damage control after an anti-Semitism advocacy group accused the singer of subliminally showing support for Hamas amid its ongoing war with Israel.
The decorated Grammy-winning singer took to her Instagram Story on Monday to issue a statement clearing up misconceptions about a since-deleted post where she expressed interest in paragliding, Daily Mail reports.
Keys, whose music producer husband Swiss Beatz (real name Kasseem Dean) is Muslim, deleted an Instagram post in which she wore a racer jacket some claimed was reminiscent of the black, white, green, and red seen on Palestine’s flag.The “No One” singer then included a caption that one advocacy group accused of being a coded message of support to Hamas.
anner ampforwp-incontent-ad3">“Question: What would u do if you weren’t afraid of anything??? Tell me your truth… I’ve had my eyes on paragliding,” Keys wrote along with two sets of eye emojis.
Once StopAntisemitism caught wind of the post, they accused Keys of showing support for Hamas considering the paragliders the Islamic Resistance Movement used in its October 7 attack on Israel. During the deadly attack, Hamas gunmen flew into the Supernova music festival on paragliders, killing hundreds of Israelis and taking some as captives back into Gaza.
“Is this some sick ode to the Hamas terrorists that infiltrated Israel, killed over 1300 people, beheaded babies, raped women, and kidnapped Holocaust survivors @aliciakeys?” the organization tweeted.
Keys quickly deleted her post after noting the backlash and posted a statement claiming it was “completely unrelated in any way to the recent devastating loss of life.”
“My heart has been breaking… I pray and stand for peace,” she wrote.
According to TMZ, Keys and Swizz live near a popular paragliding spot in San Diego. But many are continuing to call her out under the belief she is a Hamas sympathizer.
“At least we know where she stands,” one person wrote.
“She knew what she was saying. Did not prepare or anticipate the online backlash,” added someone else.
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