VA School Board Chair Defends Anti-Muslim Facebook Post–‘I Merely Shared It’

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Christie New Craig: Screenshot Via 10 OnYourSide

The chairwoman of the Chesapeake, Virginia, school board is under investigation for a racist Facebook post she made which features a cartoon character saying:

“Muslims hate pork, beer, dogs, bikinis, Jesus, and freedom of speech. My question is, what the hell do they come to America for?”

Christie New Craig made the post and is now attempting to defend herself by saying she only shared the Islamophobic piece of garbage:

“I merely shared it. I did not make a comment, and I’m just shocked with everything going on in our country – police officers are losing their lives, people are homeless and people don’t have jobs – that a political cartoon would cause this much stir. People have a right to like or not like anything.”

But the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national Muslim civil rights group, disagreed with Craig’s casual dismissal of her actions:

“Only by addressing this issue can the board uphold its stated commitment ‘to the principle of equal opportunity for all and does not permit discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.'”

It is also instructive to recall that this incident in Virgina comes just days after 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to his school in Irving, Texas Mohamd brought the clock to show his teacher what he had made. The teacher called it a “hoax bomb.”

Ms. Craig also claimed that she only shared the cartoon for “information” and said she is not a racist:

“I’m not racist. I don’t look at people from the outside in. I look at them from the inside out but I’m also not going to be bullied or intimidated and have people try to take my freedom away from me.”

Perhaps, but actions speak louder that words.