The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) condemns a meme published on The Illinois Republican County Chairman’s Association’s Facebook page which characterizes Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib as the “Jihad Squad.”
These women of color are giving voice to those who are not heard in the halls of power of Washington D.C. They bring opposition to the separation of families, yet are characterized as supporters of criminals trying to enter our borders. They offer dissent to the ongoing pollution of our environment, yet they are framed as being opposed to our capitalistic and democratic society. They stand as fresh voices to the social ills facing our society, yet their opponents insist on calling them anti-American.
It is sickening that the leadership of the Illinois Republican party has joined the dangerous practice of characterizing the exercise of free speech by these women and their expressions of dissent as being antithetical to our country. Such expressions are tools of hate and should be condemn by true lovers of free speech in the State of Illinois.
We implore for all voices of reason to fight the spread of hate speech from whatever source.