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A city councilperson in Palm Bay, Florida, is refusing to apologize to outraged members of his community for claiming those who follow Islam “do not belong” in the United States.
Chandler Langevin, a Republican, offended some people in the community last month after writing on X that Islam “exists for the sole purpose of conquering Christendom and ending the Jewish people” and, therefore “they” do not belong in America.
Langevin was responding to a post from a Florida state senator who is supporting a bill that would protect public officials’ privacy by removing their addresses from public records. The state senator claimed two “Muslim terrorists” made “death threats” on his home.
“Exactly. We have similar concerns as I have no issues saying that Islam exists for the sole purpose of conquering Christendom and ending the Jewish people as well and they do not belong in this great nation,” Langevin wrote.
Online, people criticized Langevin, but he doubled down with, “I said what I said.”
Even in person, community members confronted the city councilman for his statement, with one woman calling it “racist foolishness.”
“Do not drag the beautiful city of Palm Bay into your racist foolishness,” the woman said at the city council meeting. “That an entire population of individuals should be banned from this country? That’s the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard, especially out of a local commissioner.”
But Langevin still refused to apologize, claiming there was “nothing wrong” with his statement.
“I said that the ideology of Islam, particularly the political component does not belong in the United States, there’s nothing wrong with saying that. So no, I’m not going to apologize,” Langevin said.
The First Amendment of the U.S. directly allows people the freedom to practice religion without government interference.
Christianity is the dominant religion practiced in the U.S. but Judaism and Islam rank number two and three.
On X, Langevin incorrectly claimed that Islam is not peaceful and is “as much a political ideology as they are a practice of faith.” He also claimed said Muslims were “taking over Christian nations across Europe and implementing their political ideology.”
This rhetoric is often used by conservatives to deny Muslims religious freedom or protection.
During President Donald Trump’s first administration, he and other lawmakers used similar arguments to justify a travel ban on Muslim-majority countries.
The Southern Poverty Law Center said that anti-Muslim groups and people can “cherry-pick” passages from the Quran to make Islam appear more violent or misinterpret how Muslims follow Sharia law – the moral and legal framework that informs how Muslims should behave – to make it seem like Islam is trying to take over.
