Civil Rights, Faith, Community and Advocacy Groups Call for MN Republican Party to Stand Up Against Hate and Bigotry

Letter calls for a member of the Minnesota Republican Party, Big Stone County chairman Jack Whitley, to be removed from office following his bigoted statements.

(November 26, 2014) — Today, Muslim Advocates along with seven civil rights, faith, community, and advocacy groups, sent a letter to Keith Downey, Chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota, regarding bigoted statements made by a member of the Minnesota Republican Party, Big Stone County chairman Jack Whitley. The letter requests that Mr. Whitley is removed “from his official position immediately to send a strong message that the Republican Party of Minnesota rejects this type of vicious hate and bigotry.”

The letter goes on to highlight the bigoted statements Mr. Whitley had recently made. “As you know, on Thursday, November 20, Mr. Whitley posted on his then-public Facebook profile a ‘call to arms’ against Muslims, calling them ‘terrorists’ and ‘parasites.’ This was after he suggested in a post on Wednesday, November 19 that when millions of Muslims travel to Mecca annually to perform a religious pilgrimage, someone should ‘frag ‘em’—a reference to detonating a fragmentation grenade. When asked about these statements, Mr. Whitley made no apology and continued to express his belief that Muslims ‘don’t belong in this country.'”

The letter urges the Republican Party of Minnesota to stand up against hate and bigotry by having Mr. Whitley removed from his position.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.

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Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization working on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths. Through high impact lawsuits, policy advocacy, and community education, Muslim Advocates serves as a resource to empower communities and ensures that the American Muslim community is heard by the courts and leaders at the highest level of government. To learn more about action taken related to this letter or for quotes or additional background on your reporting please contact Fatima Khan or visit Muslim Advocates at www.muslimadvocates.org and follow @muslimadvocates.