Former pornography star Mia Khalifa caused a stir on social media when she tweeted, “My wine is older than your apartheid ‘state’” on May 29.
Various Twitter users excoriated Khalifa, a Lebanese-American, in the replies and quote tweets, noting that the wine she was drinking–Charles Heidsick champagne–was produced in Nazi-occupied France in 1943.
“Mia Khalifa has 3.7 million followers,” American Jewish Committee Managing Director of Global Communications Avi Mayer tweeted. “Here she is mocking Israel’s age (note: Israel is older than two-thirds of the world’s countries, including most countries in the Middle East) by showcasing champagne produced in… Nazi-occupied France.”
Mia Khalifa has 3.7 million followers.
Here she is mocking Israel's age (note: Israel is older than two-thirds of the world's countries, including most countries in the Middle East) by showcasing champagne produced in… Nazi-occupied France.
¯_(ツ)_/¯https://t.co/WYsEOCEIDH
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) May 31, 2021
International human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky similarly tweeted, “Peak wokeness. @miakhalifa tries to have a go at #Israel, but happily poses drinking wine from Nazi era France!”
Peak wokeness. @miakhalifa tries to have a go at #Israel, but happily poses drinking wine from Nazi era France! https://t.co/ZqAF7H3Thc
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) June 1, 2021
Former Miss Iraq Sarah Idan tweeted to Khalifa, “I remember reading about you once, you described one of your life decisions as exploiting degrading and low. Well let me tell you girlie; posing with Nazi wine and promoting genocide of people is probably the lowest thing you’ve ever done in your life.”
I remember reading about you once, you described one of your life decisions as exploiting degrading and low. Well let me tell you girlie; posing with Nazi wine and promoting genocide of people is probably the lowest thing you’ve ever done in your life..
— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) May 31, 2021
British investigative journalist David Collier also tweeted to Khalifa, “These viral ‘my gran is older than Israel’ type tweets are rather amusing. A sneeze may only exist for a second – but this is still a second longer than any Palestinian state has ever been in existence.”
These viral 'my gran is older than Israel' type tweets are rather amusing.
A sneeze may only exist for a second – but this is still a second longer than any Palestinian state has ever been in existence. https://t.co/olKvkWueMY
— David Collier (@mishtal) May 30, 2021
Tablet Magazine Associate Editor Noam Blum tweeted, “Wine is illegal in Gaza.”
Wine is illegal in Gaza. https://t.co/E5aIpq5Fbq
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) May 30, 2021
Khalifa doubled down on her tweet. In response to a New York Post article noting that she posed “with Nazi-era champagne,” she tweeted out a video of her pouring orange juice and “enjoying what would be classified as ‘nazi-era’ music according to the NYPost’s logic on things produced in 1940’s France.”
She added in a subsequent tweet, “Let’s keep this same energy in 78 years with people who support Israeli brands and products funding apartheid.”
Enjoying what would be classified as “nazi-era” music according to the NYPost’s logic on things produced in 1940’s France. https://t.co/2yUXOu60ht pic.twitter.com/ognnSct95f
— Mia K. (@miakhalifa) May 31, 2021
Let’s keep this same energy in 78 years with people who support Israeli brands and products funding apartheid 💕
— Mia K. (@miakhalifa) May 31, 2021
The Daily Wire’s Ian Haworth argued in a June 1 piece that Khalifa would be imprisoned if she were in the Gaza Strip, as porn and same-sex relationships (one of Khalifa’s porn scenes involved her engaging in “same-sex activities”) are illegal in Gaza. Khalifa responded on Twitter, “I’m sorry your mental capacity can’t fathom issues past your own personal agendas. Ban me from all Arabic speaking countries and I’ll still be screaming ‘free Palestine’ and ‘pray for Beirut’ in every other language under the sun.”
I’m sorry your mental capacity can’t fathom issues past your own personal agendas. Ban me from all Arabic speaking countries and I’ll still be screaming “free Palestine” and “pray for Beirut” in every other language under the sun. https://t.co/xuZkUKSNNn
— Mia K. (@miakhalifa) June 1, 2021
Khalifa was in the porn industry for three months before leaving in 2015 after receiving death threats from ISIS for wearing a hijab during a sex scene.
