Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Scott Simpson, public advocacy director for Muslim Advocates, in response to the bigoted rhetoric of a low-polling candidate vying to be Michigan’s next governor targeting an American Muslim opponent. This rhetoric comes in advance of President Trump’s campaign visit. Muslim Advocates is a 501c3 charity that does not endorse or oppose candidates for office.

“When candidates traffick in these conspiracy theories and use reckless anti-Muslim rhetoric, it emboldens white supremacists, injects discrimination into our public narrative, and – as evidenced by the recently uncovered plot to bomb an apartment building home to many Kansas Muslim families – it endangers lives.

For most candidates, it doesn’t help them get elected either. In the past year, embracing anti-Muslim hate groups and rhetoric was an omen for failed candidacies in Alabama, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Texas, North Dakota, and elsewhere.

This is a sad attempt to echo the tragically flawed rhetoric of the deeply unpopular President Trump who is visiting Michigan this weekend.

We applaud the bipartisan condemnation of this rhetoric that we’ve seen from across Michigan and, as President Trump rallies on Macomb County, we call on Michiganders to condemn his anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies as well.”

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.

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