by Demand letters were delivered Friday to local elected officials by over a dozen Christian and Jewish faith leaders, asking them to condemn the hate speech of Tarrant County GOP chair Bo French toward a Muslim state lawmaker.
French targeted Euless Democrat Representative Salman Bhojani on social media earlier this month with several postings against Bhojani’s faith and race. French urged federal authorities to denaturalize and deport the Muslim Pakistani Bhojani.
On August 22, the Fort Worth Report received a copy of the letters from the Tarrant County Faith & Justice Coalition. In their letter, the clergy-based leaders expressed their profound distress by French remarks about Bhojani and urged elected authorities to speak out against Islamophobia and all types of prejudice.
The statement stated that these remarks are Islamophobic, polarizing, and essentially un-American; they are not just political assaults.
According to Rev. Ryon Price, senior pastor of Broadway Baptist Church and a coalition member, copies of the letter, which was signed by 17 religious leaders, were mailed to a number of elected officials in Tarrant County, including Tarrant County Judge Tim O. Hare and county commissioners; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and members of the City Council; and several state representatives and senators.
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Mr. French hasn’t resigned, and I believe it’s critical that Christian leaders stand out and declare this to be very inappropriate. Price told the Report that our community should not put up with it because it transcends politics.
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A request for comment from French was not answered. “There are rumors of yet another hit piece coming out on me,” he wrote in an X post on Friday afternoon. Nobody is surprised by this.
French remarked, “They want to capitalize on accusations of racism made by those who have misunderstood what I say.” a lot of these scenarios. Know that I will not be deterred by this. I will continue to defend Texas.
Parker said she would be open to talking about the matter if she had a greater understanding of the viewpoints of the religious leaders, but she would wait to respond until she received the letter. She joined Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other Republican politicians earlier this summer in denouncing French prejudice for publishing a poll asking whether Muslims or Jews are a greater threat to the United States.
Among those who signed Friday’s letter was Sheri Allen, a cantor and co-founder of Makom Shelanu, an LGBTQ+ welcoming synagogue in Fort Worth, who stated that it’s critical for people of all faiths to support one another in that regard.
According to Allen, the Jewish community is aware of what it’s like to be singled out for criticism and to be the targets of hate speech. For some who might respond, “Oh, it’s just words,” she added. It doesn’t injure anyone; it’s just words. Nobody can be harmed by it. Sometimes the worst damage is done with words.
“It’s good to see that people are standing up for what is completely wrong and, honestly, disgusting to hear from a leader in Tarrant County,” Bhojani told the Report, adding that he was unaware of the letters being submitted to officials.
As Texas House Democrats broke quorum to prevent Republicans from approving a new congressional plan that would have made at least five districts more Republican-friendly, French posts were made against Bhojani. French accused Bhojani at the time of fabricating a story about having to leave the country due to a family emergency.
Frenchwrote on August 11: “I am formally calling on @RealTomHoman to denaturalize and deport Pakistan-born, anti-American democrats, #txlege quorum breaking, @realDonaldTrump’s agenda hating, redistricting blocking @SalmanBhojaniTX.”
Eventually, Bhojani shared pictures of his Pakistani plane tickets and passport stamps. Later, during the quorum break, he joined colleagues in Chicago.
Bhojani was the first person of color elected to the Euless City Council in 2017 and one of the first Muslim Americans elected to the Legislature in 2022. He claimed that he is accustomed to receiving harsh remarks in private and in public. However, the congressman claimed that French and his family are now experiencing more abuse as a result of his divisive internet remarks.
After being doxxed online and being pursued by an unmarked car, his wife and two teenage children moved into his parents’ gated home, according to Bhojani. Before Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows ordered state troopers to keep an eye on Democrats who violated quorum over redistricting, Bhojani said he had hired round-the-clock security for his family.
He expects that by sending out demand letters, political officials will be more inclined to speak out against Islamophobia in their local communities.
People find it quite difficult to publicly oppose that in this day and age, and I’m not sure why, such as why people are bashful. “Bhojani said.” Perhaps we should expect our elected leaders to hold themselves to a higher level, but I’m not sure.
But Bhojani stated that he had no intention of pressuring French to step down or persuading others to do so. He stated that someone similar to French may replace him if he were ousted.
Bhojani stated that his goal is to create a more compassionate and inclusive Texas where individuals of all religions can feel valued and protected.
French has posted a lot on X since his Bhojani article, disseminating false information about Islam and advocating for its extermination in the US. French wrote last week that Islam is a political philosophy that aims to subjugate non-Islamic nations like America. It needs to be prohibited because it is not covered by the 1A.
Three months after the party head apologized for releasing a social media poll on Muslims and Jews, the group is calling on officials to condemn French. Patrick, Parker, and other officials, like as Congressman Craig Goldman of Fort Worth and Representative Giovanni Capriglione of Southlake, called for French’s resignation or prompt removal.
Too many instances of the hatred and prejudice of @BoFrenchTX. This is among the most heinous instances. For some of the other best examples, try fishing on X. There are too many to mention them all here. With @tarrantgop, new leadership is inevitable. Make the deck clear. #blessyourheart, Parkerwrote at the time.
Her spokesperson responded via email that the mayor stands by her earlier statements after Parker first refused to speak.
According to Bhojani, the criticism the party chair received for his survey in June stands in sharp contrast to the absence of public reaction to France’s recent wave of Islamophobia.
I guess now he s trying to switch to giving people the red meat that they re looking for, because Islamophobia does exist prominently in so many different ways, Bhojani said.
Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady, president of Brite Divinity School who signed the demand letter, said antisemetic and Islamophobic comments are nonpartisan issues.
It s dehumanizing, and it undermines all people of faith, Cady said.
Since June, French hasheld firm in his seat as chairand made it clear that he will not resign. Several Republican precinct chairs told the Report this summer thatthey stand by Frenchand will not support his removal from the party.
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her [email protected].
Cecilia Lenzen works for the Fort Worth Report as a government accountability reporter. Reach her at fortworthreport.org/cecilia.lenzen.
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