NJ official won’t resign over posts on 2 Muslim reps, Islam

The Associated Press

5 years ago

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., speaks to reporters during a break in testimony from Acting Secret ... — Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., speaks to reporters during a break in testimony from Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan as he appears before a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A New Jersey school board member is refusing to resign or apologize for disparaging two Muslim congresswomen and Islam on social media.

Dan Leonard said at a Toms River school board meeting Wednesday he has a right to free speech as over a dozen speakers chastised him for his personal Facebook posts.

In remarks about Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib urging a hunger strike over U.S. treatment of migrants, he wrote: “my life would be complete if she/they die.” In another post he described Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, also a Muslim, as a terrorist.

He also shared a derogatory meme with an image of a bruised “Sharia Barbie’ doll in a headscarf.

Leonard said he opposes “Sharia law,” not Muslims.

He was elected in 2016 and is seeking re-election this year.