The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today condemned Rep. John James (R-MI) for his recent comments comparing Muslims observing a religious procession in Dearborn with extremists in Iraq when he served in the United States military.
In a recent interview on NewsMax, Rep. John James compared Muslims engaging in a peaceful procession in Dearborn marking the Shia religious observance of Ashura to extremists he claimed to fight while serving as an attack helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army during the war on Iraq.
James said, “I didn’t go and fight extremists to have them on our doorstep here. Under no circumstances will we be a home in Michigan for extremism.”
SEE: Clip of comments via TCD Instagram page.
“We condemn James’ misguided comparison of peaceful Americans expressing their First Amendment right of freedom of assembly to violent extremists which he claimed to fight against while he proudly served in an unjust, immoral war in Iraq,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “James in comments joins others in a bigoted framework that posits Muslims by default as extremists unless proven otherwise.”
Walid, who is also a veteran of the U.S. military, also noted that the Shia procession in Dearborn marked the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Husayn, who was murdered along with his family members including women and children at the hands of an unjust army. He further stated that there were persons participating in the procession who had family members displaced and killed in the war on Iraq.
NOTE: CAIR is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that does not endorse political candidates.
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
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director, Dawud Walid, (248) 842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Lead Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure (586) 943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com