ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — “One nation under God, not Allah” said a meme Anne Arundel County Councilman John Grasso shared in a Facebook post. Among a wave of backlash is the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) call for Grasso, a Republican, to resign over the controversial posts made in September.
Zainab Chaudry, representative of the Maryland branch of CAIR, said the posts were “hate-filled, Islamophobic and xenophobic” while calling for the Councilman’s resignation. “There are members who live in his district who are concerned about their safety,” she said, according to WJZ.
Some of Grasso’s posts about Islam were unsound, as well.
For one, “Allah” is a direct translation of “God,” not a separate deity. The meme continues: “America is not a Muslim nation. America is not an Islamic nation. America is a Christian nation,” in a sentiment opposed to the American standard of a separation between church and state.
Chaudry made the point:
On Monday, Chaudry emailed Grasso asking that he remove the Islamophobic posts, she said. The next day, he called Chaudry, she said in a Facebook post.
“This morning, he called and went off on me about Islam attacking America on 9/11, sharia taking over our country and infiltrating our schools, Muslims needing to all be vetted because ‘they’re always blowing things up,’ and Islam not belonging in America,” she said. “He was emphatic in his support for Donald Trump’s call for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
Chaudry continued, “He could not explain the definition of sharia, simply citing a Facebook post shared by Trump.”
“Share if you think President Trump should ban Islam in American schools,” one Facebook post said, shared by Grasso. One commenter said “John Grasso: Thanks to Muslim Sister Urooj who helped you to build your Facebook to advertise your campaign.”
“I don’t think any religion should be allowed in public schools… Not sure what [you’re] talking about,” Grasso replied.
Grasso told WJZ that the posts did not reflect his views, but he just shared content from other people.
“I don’t treat anybody different than anybody else. I see a person until proven different,” Grasso said.
The anti-Islam posts aren’t the only controversial topic on Grasso’s Facebook page. One post he shared mocks Christine Blasey Ford for not fully remembering some details surrounding her sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
See more posts at the Capital Gazette.
Grasso also shared a “Real Gossip” post by Ted Nugent, an outspoken Trump supporter, which claims Democrats are destroying Kavanaugh’s career in order to control the Supreme Court and asks what they would do to control the country.
“Councilman Grasso, you want Anne Arundel County to believe Muslims should be hated and banned. People like you are the reason why children change their names to sound less Muslim; why women sometimes take off their hijabs, and why some Muslim families might avoid mosques or praying in public spaces,” Chaudry said in the Facebook post. “They feel pressured to change their identity so they can feel like they belong.”
See more: Controversy Surrounds Anne Arundel Councilman’s Social Media
Neither Chaudry nor Grasso immediately responded to Patch’s request for comment.
Article image used with permission of WJZ
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