An anti-Muslim poster outside the West Virginia House of Delegates chamber falsely connecting a freshman congresswoman to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has drawn strong rebukes from local and national lawmakers, while causing the resignation of a Capitol staffer and the reported injury of another.
\nThe sign, which loomed over a table loaded with other Islamophobic flyers on a \u201cWV GOP Day\u201d at the legislature Friday, bore an image of the burning World Trade Center juxtaposed with a picture of US Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the first Muslim congresswomen ever elected.
\n\u201c\u2019Never forget\u2019 \u2014 You said,\u201d was written over the Twin Towers. On Omar\u2019s picture, a caption read, \u201cI am the proof you have forgotten.\u201d
\n\u201cNo wonder why I am on the \u201cHitlist\u201d of a domestic terrorist and \u201cAssassinate Ilhan Omar\u201d is written on my local gas stations,\u201d Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, wrote on Twitter as the images went viral. \u201cLook no further, the GOP\u2019s anti-Muslim display likening me to a terrorist rocks in state capitols and no one is condemning them!\u201c
\nOn Saturday, the West Virginia\u2019s Republican party condemned the appearance of the anti-Muslim flyers and posters.
\n\u201cOur party supports freedom of speech, but we do not endorse speech that advances intolerant and hateful views,\u201d West Virginia Republican Party Chairwoman Melody Potter wrote in a statement, which added that they did not approve of the sign and had asked the exhibitor to remove it. No one acknowledged permitting the display.
\nThe group whose name appeared on a sign next to the display, ACT for America, has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The organization, which describes itself as a national security advocacy group, issued a statement Saturday saying it was not behind the images.
\n\u201cAnyone who claimed to be with ACT for America was doing so without the permission and approval of ACT for America,\u201d the statement read. \u201cACT has one million members and 45,000 activists and chapter leaders. It is impossible for our National headquarter for monitor the behavior of every single individual who claims to represent us.\u201d
\nOnlookers outside the House chambers Friday snapped photos of the poster and the additional literature.
\n\u201cReadin\u2019, Writin\u2019, And Jihadin,\u2019 The Islamization of American Public Schools,\u201d read one of the pamphlets. Another flyer warned of \u201cThe Four Stages of Islamic Conquest.\u201d
\nMany House delegates denounced the display just as the body convened. One lawmaker admitted to getting so mad that he kicked a House door open, which resulted in a doorkeeper being physically injured, according to the speaker of the House. Another delegate grew furious, saying he had heard a staffer make an anti-Muslim remark.
\n\u201cThe sergeant of arms of this body, that represents the people of the state of West Virginia, said, \u2018All Muslims are terrorists.\u2019 That\u2019s beyond shameful,\u201d said Delaware Michael Angelucci, a Democrat, his voice rising to a shout. \u201cAnd that\u2019s not freedom of speech. That\u2019s hate speech, and it has no place in this house.\u201d
\nThe sergeant of arms, Anne Lieberman, resigned later Friday. She has declined to comment after being reached by phone by The Associated Press.
\nRepublican House Speaker Roger Hanshaw questioned how things had gone so wrong.
\n\u201cWe owe it to ourselves; we owe it our constituents; we owe it to the men and women and children and families that we represent to do better than we are,\u201d Hanshaw told lawmakers.
\n\u201cWe have allowed national level politics to become a cancer on our state, to become a cancer on our legislature, to invade our chamber in a way that frankly makes me ashamed,\u201d Hanshaw said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An anti-Muslim poster outside the West Virginia House of Delegates chamber falsely connecting a freshman congresswoman to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has drawn strong rebukes from local and national lawmakers, while causing the resignation of a Capitol staffer and the reported injury of another.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c102-muslim-minorities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n