School Board Member Refuses To Resign After ‘Satanic’ Islam Post Sparks Fury
A North Carolina school board member is refusing to resign after weeks of protests over a social media post calling Islam a “satanic death cult.”
Gaston County School Board member Tod Kinlaw shared a Facebook post in March featuring a graphic that read: “Islam is a satanic death cult. Allah is Satan. Mohammed is a false prophet.” The posts were quickly deleted, according to WCNC-TV in Charlotte, but not before the screenshots quickly spread through the community, sparking local protests and demands for impeachment or resignation during a crowded school board meeting Monday.
Despite the outcry, Kinlaw appeared to defend his position in a video published March 30 by the Gaston Gazette. (RELATED: Nick Shirley Calls Democratic Rep. ‘Fraud Queen’)
“I didn’t, I didn’t, I didn’t go after Muslims or any of these things that people say, oh, he hates Muslims,” Kinlaw told a reporter. “I’ve witnessed, I’ve shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with many Muslims, but when it comes to Sharia law and their fact, this ideology of persecuting LGBTQ people, I mean, have you read the Quran?
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The Gaston County School Board issued a statement April 1, saying Kinlaw’s comments did not reflect the school board’s views, but also said they did not have the authority to remove him from office, WBTV, another Charlotte television station, reported.
“We are aware of a recent social media post that has created controversy. It is important to emphasize that what was shared is not the opinion or position of the entire school board,” said school board President Josh Crisp. “Elected officials, such as Board of Education members, are held to high standards, and we understand that we represent all students, employees, parents, families, and community members, regardless of religion, beliefs, background, and status. Individual Board members are accountable for their individual actions, and the individual actions of any Board member do not automatically represent the entire Board.”
“The Board of Education does not have the authority to remove an individual board member from elected office,” Crisp added.
Gaston County residents called for Kinlaw’s resignation during a school board meeting Monday that was also previously held. All 100 seats in the school board room were filled five minutes after the doors opened.
“The fact that he can’t respect the student body as a whole means he has no place in public education,” one protester told a WCNC-TV reporter.
“How can you claim to serve all students while publicly dehumanizing some of them? You can’t,” one commenter said, later adding. “Now let’s call it what it is: religious, bigotry.”
Calls for Kinlaw’s resignation first emerged from the Gaston County NAACP and Indivisible Gaston, WBTV reported. Kinlaw is up for re-election this year, according to several Charlotte-area media outlets.
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