A member of a school board in New Jersey says that comments he made on his Facebook page about Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) weren’t offensive to Muslims and said one was in opposition to Sharia Law.
A number of speakers criticized Toms River Board of Education member Dan Leonard on July 24 over his posts, including East Brunswick school board member Wesam Berjaoui.
“If you’re a board member, you are supposed to protect the interests of everyone, all of the school members, the students, the staff,” Berjaoui, a Muslim, told Leonard, in footage from the meeting published by the Asbury Park Press. “And by your actions of hate, that is disgusting.”
Leonard shared a story in April on Facebook about Tlaib calling for hunger strikes to shut down Immigration and Customs Enforcement and wrote, “My life would be complete if she/they die…”
He also shared a video of Omar talking about al-Qaeda embedded in a post referencing her remarks on the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, writing, “Terrorist … 100 percent,” and a picture of a Barbie doll wearing a head scarf, writing: “Sharia Barbie, Comes with Jihab [sic], bruises, & Quran, Stoning accessories available for additional purchase.”
Defending the post about Tlaib, Leonard said: “The congresswoman is trying to shut down a federal agency of the government, right, so my point was, ‘let her starve.’ And I say it again, how is that offensive to Muslims? Just because she’s Muslim?”
“Why is she going to have a hunger strike then?” he added, responding to a comment from the crowd. About one of the posts, Leonard said it was in opposition to Sharia Law, or strict Islamic-based law that is prevalent in the Middle East, not Muslims.
Leonard took to his Team Leonard Facebook page early Thursday, writing: “Again, in an attempt to sensationalize headlines to sell Papers & Advertising ….. The Fake News is portraying my comment without actually showing the article it was attached to or the discussion that took place under it. As you can see, it was not a threat to kill Muslims.”
“My point is that if a US Congresswoman wants to starve herself to death during an Anti-Trump publicity-seeking Faux Hunger Strike while protesting a Federal Agency Of The United States – GOOD RIDDANCE!” he added.
Leonard on Wednesday said he’d met with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other Muslim members of the community and said he “did reassure them that I understand the position that some of them felt the need to take” while advising supporters, “Just because you have the right to say something does not necessarily mean that you should.”
“I stand against Sharia Law and I stand against those who would attempt to take away one’s freedom of speech through fear and intimidation! I will never back down, but I vow to be more articulate in my approach so that the message I am trying to convey as a private citizen is clear and precise and in no way reflects the position of the Board,” he added.
Leonard walked over to a group of representatives from CAIR after the school board meeting and was speaking to them outside the meeting after the building was cleared, reported the Park Press.
The group on Tuesday called for Leonard to resign over his posts.
“The bigoted, hateful, and threatening social media posts shared by this elected board of education official serve to disqualify him for any position that has responsibility for the safety, security, and well-being of New Jersey’s diverse student body,” said James Sues, executive director of CAIR’s New Jersey chapter, in a statement.
“The bigoted views expressed by Mr. Leonard have no place in an educational system that seeks to celebrate diversity and encourage students of all faiths and backgrounds to excel scholastically and to make positive contributions to our society. This is just a painful reminder of the extreme divisiveness that characterizes the current political climate at the national level.”
Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver was among the elected officials calling on Leonard to resign. She wrote in a statement that “we are disheartened by the racist comments” made by Leonard and that she and Gov. Phil Murphy “urge him to resign.”
