(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 6/10/2015) – The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today called for the resignation of a Roseville, Mich., school board member who – for the second time – posted an anti-Muslim message on Facebook.
Roseville Community Schools Board of Education Vice President Alfredo Francesconi posted an image yesterday from Jan Morgan, an Arkansas gun range owner who bars Muslim customers from her business, containing obscene text that claims Muslims have sex with animals.
- SEE: Alfredo Francesconi’s Anti-Muslim Facebook Post
- Roseville Community Schools Board of Education
In 2013, Francesconi was forced to remove a similarly Islamophobic Facebook post.
“Mr. Francesconi clearly has bigoted views about Islam and Muslims that should render him unfit to serve a diverse community and an equally diverse student population, which includes Muslim children,†said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.
Walid noted the unprecedented rise in anti-Islam rhetoric in American society and the subsequent increase in hate incidents targeting Muslims.
- CAIR-MI: Group Accuses Mayoral Candidate of Being Anti-Muslim Bigot
- NY: Insanity Defense Possible for Man Accused in Mosque Stabbing (NY Daily News)
- Video: Sailor Pleads Guilty to Hate Attack on Muslim Taxi Driver in Seattle (CAIR)
- Video: Georgia Muslim Family Targeted Based on Religion
- Iowa Man Indicted Over Online Threats to Boston Muslim Group
CAIR offers a booklet, called “An Educator's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” designed to help school officials provide a positive learning environment for Muslim students.
In 2013, CAIR’s California chapter released a report documenting bias-based bullying of American Muslim students in that state’s schools. The report revealed that almost half of Muslim students say they had been subjected to some form of bias-based bullying.
To read the full report, go to:
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.
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com