CAIR-New Jersey Invites Edward Durr to Meet with Muslim Community Leaders
(SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ, 11/5/2021) – The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today called on newly-elected New Jersey state senator Edward Durr to meet with Muslim community leaders to discuss his Islamophobic tweet and repudiate hate.
A 2019 post from Durr’s Twitter account stated in part: “Islam is a false religion! Only fools follow muslim [sic] teachings! It is a cult of hate!” Posts from Durr’s Facebook account downplayed the Jan. 6 coup attempt, calling it “not an insurrection … (but) an unauthorized entry by undocumented federal employees!”
SEE: Newly elected GOP state senator’s social media accounts contain xenophobic, anti-Muslim posts
In a statement, CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said:
“This wildly incendiary language is especially disturbing coming from someone who will hold high public office.
“Mr. Durr will soon be a state senator in New Jersey, and so, I believe it is in everyone’s best interest to engage him in conversation and not let the matter go unchecked. I am asking Mr. Durr to sit with me and other Muslim community leaders from his district and lend us his ear. Our aim is to explain why his tweet is so troubling, how it perpetuates falsities about Islam, and hatred and violence against Muslims.
“I hope after sincere dialogue Mr. Durr will repudiate this blatant bigotry, disavow the tweet, and sincerely apologize–because it is absolutely necessary that he do so. The judgment of policy-makers clouded by racism and ignorance negatively impacts the lives of all Americans, especially American Muslims who know all too well what that impact can feel like.”
Maksut noted that New Jersey is home to three times as many Muslim adults per capita as the national average, and that New Jersey also has more Muslim elected officials than any other state in the nation.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
END
