May Allah guide Barry West and open his heart to see the beauty of Islam . The light of truth is far more stronger and everlasting than ignorance and hate speech .
We demand an apology. This is insensitive and hateful. Call Coffee County Commissioner Barry West and demand an apology for this outrageous post. Phone number:
931-728-9402
We demand an apology. This is insensitive and hateful. Call Coffee County Commissioner Barry West and demand an apology for this outrageous post. Phone number:
931-728-9402
Middle TN commissioner's Barry West Facebook post frightens Muslims
Racism in the media, Terrorism has no religion.
the following is reported by Heidi Hall :
The Coffee County commissioner who posted an anti-Muslim meme on his Facebook page said he doesn't understand why he's being "singled out" for doing that.
A number of local and national Islamic advocacy groups are calling for an apology from Commissioner Barry West after he posted a picture of a man aiming a gun. The words over it say, "How to wink at a Muslim."
Responding to an emailed request for comment, Barry West wrote: "No I did not Twitter this .... no I did not create this picture .... yes I shared it .... so why am I being singled out?"
Asked whether he will apologize, West hasn't responded, but he did take the post down from his Facebook page.
The American Muslim Advisory Council Tweeted a screen grab of West’s post. “Demand Coffee County Commissioner Barry West apologize for his hateful post on Saturday. Call him now.” It also contained a phone number.
The statewide council is devoted to promoting understanding between Tennesseans and Muslims. The state has been the site of mosque vandalism and strong resistance against the opening of new mosques in Brentwood and Murfreesboro.
Drost Kokoye, a council board member, said West's Facebook post is frightening because elected officials set the example for behavior in people they represent.
"Regardless of whether you have Muslim constituents or not, you shouldn’t post this," she said. "A shotgun with a wink behind it? I feel threatened. This is not OK."
She said it's particularly disturbing in the face of anti-Muslim sentiment following the Boston Marathon bombings. A Muslim man falsely accused on social media in the bombings was found dead last week, she pointed out.
Providence, R.I., police are treating the death as a suicide.
Boston police ultimately identified the bombing suspects as Muslims of Chechen descent, touching off a wave of anti-Islam incidents nationwide.
Coffee County Mayor David Pennington said he believes his county is still hospitable, as his message on the government website states. He said county government and Muslim business owners have enjoyed a strong and supportive relationship for many years.
"I don’t have control on what a commissioner does when he leaves the commission meeting," Pennington said. "What one commissioner did, I don’t think you could judge the whole county by that. I have no idea why he did it."
He said he'd tell commissioners at the next meeting that they need to be careful what they put on Facebook.
Contact Heidi Hall at 615-726-5977 or hhall@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter @HeidiHallTN.
Please note that according to American Center for outreach :
Commissioner West Issues Apology
A day after ACO and the American Muslim Advisory Council alerted the community about the hateful post by a local Tennessee public official, Coffee County Commissioner Barry West releases official apology.
Mr. West spoke with our Director of Policy & Administration earlier in the day and expressed his “heartfelt, sincere apology.” Commissioner West went on to state that his “intent was never to offend or harm anyone” and the post was a “mistake.” Commissioner West has agreed to meet with Muslim constituents to further discuss the incident.
Barry West
Though we accept Mr. West’s apology, such rhetoric has no place in Tennessee and should never be repeated. Diversity is a value that all Americans cherish and such speech whether intentional or not is a direct attack on that.
West said in an exclusive interview with WMSR that he shared the post as a joke but now understands that it was wrong and sincerely apologizes to those he offended. West says, “I will study and talk with those of the Muslim faith to learn more about their beliefs”.
Though we accept Mr. West’s apology, such rhetoric has no place in Tennessee and should never be repeated. Diversity is a value that all Americans cherish and such speech whether intentional or not is a direct attack on that.
Thank you to everyone who took action. We will continue to ensure that Tennessee remains a welcoming state for all
Islam4mankind accept Barry West apology, we recommend he take some diversity training and be educated about world religion . Islam is the fastest growing religion despite all the stereotypes and despite all corporate media that aims at dehumanizing Islam and Muslims to pave the way for colonial and war agendas .
May Allah restore peace and understanding , may Allah guide all media outlets to be of service to humanity not to the imperialistic mind set .