The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today sent a letter to San Luis Obispo County District Attorney (DA) Dan Dow demanding that he publicly apologize and retract his recent anti-Muslim social media posts following the election of New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
SEE: SLO County DA shares posts linking New York’s first Muslim mayor to 9/11 attacks
Dow reportedly reshared a few posts on his public X account, including one from Amy Mek—a known anti-Muslim extremist—that falsely equated the election of Mamdani with 9/11, reinforcing the harmful stereotype that Muslims are inherently tied to terrorism simply because of their faith.
CAIR-LA has also called for an independent investigation into Dow’s conduct and his fitness to continue to serve as DA. Separately, CAIR-LA has requested that Dow meet directly with the organization as well as local Muslim community members to gain a deeper understanding of the American Muslim experience and the harmful impacts of rising Islamophobia nationwide.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“Dow’s decision to repost content that weaponizes bigotry and baselessly ties an elected Muslim official to terrorism is appalling and reflects the deeply rooted dehumanization and fearmongering in this country that American Muslims have had to endure for decades. As a district attorney, Dow has a professional and moral responsibility to remain impartial and equitable—yet his actions call into question his ability to engage in fair prosecution of, or respect the due process rights for, Muslim defendants in SLO County.
“We cannot allow public officials to make hate-based claims without accountability. We call on Dow to immediately retract his bigoted, dangerous social media posts and we demand an investigation into his conduct to ensure the safety and fair treatment of Muslims under his jurisdiction.”
Last month, CAIR National and its New York chapter released a joint letter calling on New York’s U.S. Congressional Delegation to confront the growing wave of Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, and anti-Palestinian hate in Congress.
If you or someone you know are the victim of a hate crime or incident, click here to contact CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights department or call (714) 776-1177 (ext. 1).
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851 or eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Senior Communications Coordinator Madi Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com