CAIR Demands Firing of Trump Staffers Who Posted Racist, Anti-Muslim, Anti-Mexican Messages Online

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today demanded that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump fire paid campaign staffers who have posted racist, anti-Muslim and anti-Mexican messages on their personal social media accounts.

CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, also called on Trump to "reexamine" his own bigoted views and policies that attracted the racist staffers to his campaign in the first place.

A report by the Associated Press found Trump staffers who posted "that Muslims are unfit to be U.S. citizens, mocked how Mexicans talk, called for Secretary of State John Kerry to be hanged and stated their readiness for a possible civil war."

AP noted that seven Trump staffers "expressed views that were overtly racially charged, supportive of violent actions or broadly hostile to Muslims." A similar AP review of public social media accounts of Hillary Clinton's larger campaign staff found nothing as offensive.

According to AP: "A graphic designer for Trump's advance team approvingly posted video of a black man eating fried chicken and criticizing fellow blacks for ignorance, irresponsibility and having too many children. A Trump field organizer in Virginia declared that Muslims were seeking to impose Sharia law in America and that 'those who understand Islam for what it is are gearing up for the fight.'"

One former Trump staffer posted an image stating: "We need Islam control, not gun control."

SEE: Donald Trump Staffers Express Racially Charged and Anti-Muslim Views on Social Media (AP)
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/08/22/trump-staff-social-media/89111714/

"Any person currently employed by the Trump campaign who has expressed racist or bigoted views should be fired," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "To keep individuals holding such intolerant views on the campaign staff would indicate an acceptance of their bigotry and racism."

He added: "The fact that so many racists and Islamophobes seem to be attracted to Mr. Trump's campaign demonstrates the need for him to reexamine his own bigoted views and policies."

Awad noted that CAIR said Trump's newly-announced proposal to subject immigrants to an ideological "test" would be a violation of American values.

CAIR also challenged Trump to repudiate a top adviser, who spoke at the Republican convention and was considered as a vice presidential pick, for stating in an address to an anti-Muslim hate group that Islam is a "cancer" and not a real religion.

In July, CAIR demanded that Donald Trump apologize for disparaging the parents of a Muslim who died while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq.

SEE: CAIR Demands Apology from Donald Trump for Disparagement of Muslim Gold Star Family
http://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/13683-cair-demands-apology-from-donald-trump-for-disparagement-of-muslim-gold-star-family.html  

The Washington-based civil rights organization has previously spoken out against Trump's apparent support for an Islamophobic town hall question and demanded that Trump "stop the bigotry" after he falsely claimed on Fox News that assimilation of American Muslims is "pretty close" to nonexistent and that a "percentage" of American Muslims "want to do what this maniac did in Orlando."

SEE: CAIR Says Donald Trump's 'Hibi-Jabis' Reply Endangers Muslim Women
http://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/13639-cair-says-donald-trump-s-hibi-jabis-reply-endangers-muslim-women.html  

Earlier this year, CAIR said Donald Trump's continued use of a debunked myth about U.S. Gen. John Pershing executing Muslim prisoners in the Philippines using bullets dipped in pig's blood was endangering ordinary American Muslims who were already facing a surge in hate.

SEE: CAIR Tells Donald Trump: 'Stop the Bigotry'
http://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/13610-cair-tells-donald-trump-stop-the-bigotry.html    

CAIR stated that Trump's pig's blood claim and other instances of his Islamophobic rhetoric, including his calling for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States, his false claim that "Islam hates us," his refusal to rule out special IDs for American Muslims, and his willingness to consider closing down American mosques place millions of innocent, law-abiding citizens in the American Muslim community at risk.

CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide since Trump's bigoted call for a complete ban on Muslims entering the United States.

The Washington-based Muslim civil rights group is asking Muslim community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/civil-rights/report-an-incident/view/form.html       

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational          
Subscribe to CAIR's Email List
http://tinyurl.com/cairsubscribe      
Subscribe to CAIR's Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational           
Subscribe to CAIR's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/cairtv    

CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR Communications Coordinator Nabeelah Naeem, 202-341-4171, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Related Links

http://www.cair.com