Here's video of the above quoted (mis?)statement from Ms. Omeish. pic.twitter.com/D05eJfuVAH

— Fairfax County Parents Association (@FFXParentsAssoc) February 24, 2023

A controversial Virginia school board member is taking heat for saying the Battle of Iwo Jima, a major US victory during World War II, “unfortunately happened” — and set a record for “human evil.”

Abrar Omeish made the stunning statements during a Thursday meeting of the Fairfax County School Board while discussing the US’s recent Japanese Day of Remembrance, which commemorates the 1942 internment of Japanese Americans by the US.

“Something for us to certainly reflect on as we learn our history and think about it,” she said of the annual event. “The days when, you know, Iwo Jima unfortunately happened and set a record for really, what I hate to say, human evil is capable of.”

[Before we jump to a conclusion, I’d wait for more context in an explanation. If she’s speaking about the actions of the Japanese imperial army, she may be right or at least in the ballpark. Japan used civilians as human shields, forced them to comply with Bushido-inspired demands for ritual suicide rather than surrender, and then forced the Marines to essentially kill them all rather than save lives through surrender of their hopeless position. If Omeish is including the US Marines in that assessment, though, then she deserves everything coming her way. — Ed]