(Baltimore, Md., 5/12/20) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nations largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today strongly condemned Islamophobic social media posts discovered on the page of a Gian Alfeo, a Howard County Board of Education Candidate in District 3, and is calling on the Howard County Republican Club to repudiate the intolerant messages after writing that Alfeo "share[s] our conservative values."
On Facebook, Alfeo re-posted an anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish meme depicting a package of bacon with the text "Refugee Test... If they eat it ... Let them in."
In another re-post, Alfeo shared an anti-Muslim image that states in part "I have a first amendment right ... to say whatever I want about Muslims" and "Islam is not a religion of peace, and all of us who do live in peace should do whatever we can to defeat Islam"
Alfeo also shared several other anti-Muslim memes that that falsely correlate the terrorist group ISIS with Islam and express anti-Muslim sentiment.
In a statement,
CAIR’s Director in Maryland Zainab Chaudry
said:
“Howard County is home to hundreds of Muslim students enrolled in the public school system who rely on the county school board to provide them with an equitable education, protect them from discrimination and respect their rights. Candidates for the board have a responsibility to demonstrate impartiality and fairly advocate for every student in the school system without bias. CAIR condemns the negative impact these anti-Muslim posts will have on these children, which also do not reflect the county’s
motto to ‘Choose Civility.’”
In a statement from,
Howard County Councilwoman Christiana Rigby,
who represents District 3, said:
"The Howard County Board of Education is responsible for the education, safety, and well-being of nearly 60,000 students of all religions, races, identities, and backgrounds. I strongly denounce the xenophobic, hateful, and anti-Muslim views and content shared by a candidate for the Board of Education - prejudice has no place in public office."
The Muslim civil rights groups thanked Councilwoman Rigby for her principled statement and is calling on the county’s Republican Club to also publicly denounce these messages.
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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