Mayor responds amid calls for DCPS school board member to resign over controversial social media post about Islam – News4JAX

Mayor responds amid calls for DCPS school board member to resign over controversial social media post about Islam  News4JAX

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan weighed in Tuesday as Duval County School Board member Anthony Ricardo continued to face backlash over a controversial social media post about Islam that groups claim he shared on his personal Facebook page. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan weighed in Tuesday as Duval County School Board member Anthony Ricardo continued to face backlash over a controversial social media post about Islam that groups claim he shared on his personal Facebook page. Ricardo, who represents District 1, is facing calls to resign after he apparently reshared a reshare of the post, which said “Islam is not a religion,” calling it “a political cult masquerading as a faith.” The original post appears to be an infographic created by Americans Against Islamification.

Ricardo’s reshare, which was captured in a screenshot that was shared by others, has since been removed from his personal Facebook page. Several groups have publicly denounced Ricardo, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR Florida), the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida and OneJax, a Jacksonville nonprofit focused on interfaith programs. OneJax posted a lengthy statement on Monday, saying “religious bigotry has no place in public education.” Deegan joined the chorus of critics on Tuesday when she shared this statement: This isn’t behavior the public expects from an elected official in charge of school system