Pastor of polling location church faces pushback for calling Muslims 'evil'
A Georgia pastor whose church serves as an active polling site is facing pushback for social media posts about Muslims that advocates say invited harassment against a religious community and threatened its right to vote.
CAIR-Georgia and the Georgia Muslim Voter Project released a statement on Election Day, condemning the remarks by the pastor of Decatur Heights Church.
In a statement to The Christian Post, a spokesperson for the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia) said the organization consulted with election protection organizations and legal counsel on Friday “to determine the most appropriate steps to address the reported statements made by Pastor Alan Smith while ensuring that voters could safely and confidently exercise their right to vote."
Smith has a public Facebook profile that states he works at the church. One statement the pastor wrote on Facebook reads: “No decent person should support Muslims because they are so evil and, yet, the Democrats have elected them and have more on this year's ballot.”
In another Facebook post, the pastor shared a video that purportedly shows Afghan women wearing full-body coverings in public, highlighting the severe restrictions women face under Taliban rule.
“Why would anyone want this to be allowed in America? (And yet, Muslims are being accepted and even being elected to offices in our cities, states and congress.) Vote Red to help stop this madness,” Smith wrote.
Decatur Heights Church and Alan Smith did not immediately respond to CP’s request for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received.
On Monday, the Georgia Muslim Voter Project conducted phone outreach to "Muslim voters in the precinct who had not yet cast their ballots," the CAIR-Georgia spokesperson told CP.
"During these calls, team members provided information about the situation, shared guidance on how to respond to potential voter intimidation, and encouraged voters to exercise their right to vote,” the CAIR-Georgia spokesperson told CP.
“We also had poll monitors present at the location to help ensure voters felt supported and could access the polls without intimidation,” the spokesperson continued. “Importantly, individuals who had previously expressed concerns or fear were reassured by these efforts and ultimately went to vote.”
At this time, the organization “is not aware of any reported incidents of discrimination or voter intimidation at the polling location,” the CAIR-Georgia spokesperson said.
In their joint news release on Election Day, the groups stated that one voter assigned to the Decatur Heights Church polling location "expressed fear and uncertainty" about going to vote there "because of the pastor’s public anti-Muslim remarks."
“By framing the religious expression and civic participation of Muslim Americans as something that must be stopped, Smith contributes to an atmosphere of hostility toward an entire faith community,” the statement continued.
Urooj Ali, a spokesperson for the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, said the organization monitored the polling location with the help of volunteers. At the time, Ali said the organization had not received reports of discriminatory activity there.
“Our goal is to ensure voters have a safe and intimidation-free election zone,” said the spokesperson for the Georgia Muslim Voter Project.
Advocacy groups called on the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections and church leadership to address any issues at the polling location, as WAGA-TV reports.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
