Family members of race-faking white Muslim reveal life before LIES
‘She’s white as driven snow’, says mother of diversity officer who claimed to be Arab
Raquel Evita Saraswati, a Muslim activist, is accused of choosing to ‘live a lie’ claiming to be of Latino, South Asian and Arab descentByJamie Johnson, US CORRESPONDENT22 February 2023 • 4:49pm
Raquel Evita Saraswati is the chief equity, inclusion and culture officer of the American Friends Service Committee
A US diversity officer who claimed to be of Latino, South Asian and Arab descent has been outed by her own mother as “white as the driven snow”.
Muslim activist Raquel Evita Saraswati, 29, is the chief equity, inclusion and culture officer of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organisation that fights globally for peace and social justice.
But her mother, Carol Perone, says she has “chosen to live a lie”.
“I call her Rachel,” she told The Intercept, adding that she was born Rachel Elizabeth Seidel.
“I don’t know why she’s doing what she’s doing. I’m as white as the driven snow and so is she.
“I’m German and British, and her father was Calabrese Italian. She’s chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad.”
Raquel Evita Saraswati's mother accuses her of 'living a lie'
Photographs of Ms Saraswati as a child show her with a much lighter skin complexion. Another family member, who asked not to be identified, confirmed to the Intercept that Ms Saraswati is white.
Oskar Pierre Castro, a human resources professional who helped AFSC hire Ms Saraswati, said the activist presented herself as a “queer, Muslim, multiethnic woman”.
“In my mind it was, ‘great, a person of colour, a queer person of colour, who happens to be a Muslim and a woman’,” he said.
“It seemed that there was an element of lived experience and understanding because of the lived experience, not just the academic and extra training that come with being in a position where you are an equity and inclusion practitioner.
“I definitely feel conned. I feel deceived,” he told The Intercept.
Islamic convert
Now, questions have also been raised about her motivations.According to Ms Perone, her daughter converted to Islam in school and later started presenting herself as being of a different ethnic identity.
Ms Saraswati went on to build a public profile, described as a “moderate” Muslim critical of Islamic extremism.
She appeared on CNN, Fox News and Right-wing channel Newsmax. In 2013, she also appeared in a film produced by the Clarion Project, an organisation the Southern Poverty Law Centre said specialised in “rabidly anti-Muslim films”.
Ms Saraswati built a public profile, described as a 'moderate' Muslim critical of Islamic extremism
According to the New York Post, Ms Saraswati wrote on Facebook: “I assure people that as soon as I am capable, I will provide answers to the recent discussion and attack on me.
“I understand all the reactions you’re having. I am currently taking the time to get to where I can answer in a way that is most helpful and thorough.”
“People are concerned,” a member of AFSC’s leadership told The Intercept, requesting anonymity.
“There’s a fear that she could be an agent, because she started her career Right-wing. She was a token Muslim voice in that milieu.”
'Raquel stands by her identity'
In a statement, the Philadelphia-based organisation said: “We are in receipt of the documentation alleging that our chief equity, inclusion, and culture officer, Raquel Saraswati, has been misrepresenting her identity.“AFSC has given Raquel the opportunity to address the allegations against her, and Raquel stands by her identity.
“Raquel also assures us that she remains loyal to AFSC’s mission, which we firmly believe.
“AFSC does not require any employee to ‘prove’ their heritage as a condition of their employment, or in order to be valued as a member of our team.”
Saraswati, hired by a Philadelphia-based Quaker group as their Chief Equity, Inclusion and Culture Officer, has claimed to be of Arab, Latina and South Asian descent
Saraswati appears to have begun claiming Indian ancestry around 2005. She is pictured celebrating the election of Kamala Harris, the first Indian American vice president
Saraswati's identity was first questioned in 2015, when a cultural commentator referred to her as 'the 'Raquel Dolezal' in the Muslim community'
Saraswati posted this image to her Facebook profile in January, in a t-shirt captioned: 'I'm rooting for everybody black and trans'
In a public post in Nov last year, Saraswati appeared to back her claims of being Latin, South Asian, or Arab. The post shows her MyHeritage AI results
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