(ANAHEIM, CA, 5/13/15) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called for the resignation of an El Monte, Calif., official who posted an Islamophobic comment on social media.
Art Barrios, a planning commissioner for the City of El Monte and a former El Monte city council member, recently posted an article headlined "China Makes Major Moves to Ban Islam" on his Facebook page and then commented, "Sounds good maybe the rest of the world should do the same."
“While Mr. Barrios has the right to his bigoted views, it is unacceptable for a person who holds such views to be in a position of public trust and authority,” said CAIR-LA Public Affairs Coordinator Haroon Manjlai. “Discrimination against building of mosques is widespread and well documented, and therefore it is unacceptable that a planning commissioner of any city, who ought to be fair and neutral, would hold such hateful views. We urge Mr. Barrios to resign his post on the planning commission, or failing that, for the city council to vote to remove him at their next meeting.”
The El Monte city council’s next meeting will be held on May 19.
CAIR has recently expressed concerns about anti-Muslim material posted on social media by a number of public officials nationwide.
SEE: Miss. Police Commander Under Investigation for Social Media Posts
CAIR Calls on Maine, New Jersey GOP Chairs to Repudiate Prejudiced Comments by Officials
CAIR Asks GOP to Repudiate Islamophobic Newsletter Distributed in Idaho
Video: CAIR Asks Tennessee GOP to Repudiate Lawmaker’s Racist Facebook Post
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-LA Communications Coordinator Ojaala Ahmad at 714 776 1847 or email: oahmad@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com