Happy International Women’s Day? Egyptian activist denied award over anti-Semitic, anti-US tweets
Samira Ibrahim in Tahrir Square in May 2012. She was arrested in the square in March before undergoing a “virginity test.”
Happy International Women's Day? Not for Samira Ibrahim, an Egyptian activist whose Woman of Courage award has been postponed over her anti-Semitic and anti-US tweets.
Ibrahim has denied responsibility for the tweets, saying that her Twitter account was hacked several times in 2012, Voice of America reported.
One of the messages reportedly welcomed a Bulgarian terror attack on a bus carrying Jewish tourists; the other was supportive of the September 11th attack in Benghazi that left Ambassador Chris Stevens and four other Americans dead.
She also reportedly called Saudi Arabia's royal family "dirtier than Jews" and "attributed all crimes against society to Jews and referenced Adolf Hitler," Ha'aretz reported.
However, Ibrahim — who was due to be honored Friday by first lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry for her fight against "virginity tests" during the Tahrir Square protests in Egypt — has reportedly spoken out about her comments, The Weekly Standard Reported.
"I refuse to apologize to the Zionist lobby in America regarding my previous anti-Zionist statements under pressure from American government therefore they withdrew the award," Ibrahim tweeted in Arabic, according to a translation by Egyptian democracy activist Mina Rezkalla.
Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the award would be "postponed" while the State Department investigates the statements from Ibrahim, Ha'aretz reported.
More from GlobalPost: Samira's Story: Why she fights for freedom, in her own words