Shahid Shafi, the Muslim vice chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, was reassured by his fellow Texans that the recent petition from a small but vocal minority to remove him from his position due to his faith was, on its face, absurd.
On Thursday, the committee voted 139-49 in favor of Shafi, with 10 abstentions, to have him remain in the party.
In a statement, Tarrant County Party Chairman Darl Easton said, “This vote reaffirms the commitment by a majority of Tarrant County Republicans to our core values and moral compass, a demonstration of our allegiance to the Texas Republican Party Platform and the Constitutions of the United States and Texas, which strictly prohibit religious and racial discrimination of any kind.”
Shafi told the committee he was “honored and privileged” and wouldn’t hold any ill will toward the members who voted to have him removed.
It should not have come down to this. The concept of holding a religious litmus test is completely un-American. But in the larger context, Republicans are turning over a new leaf, especially with respect to speaking out against bigotry.
Earlier in the week, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, in an interview with the New York Times, appeared to embrace white supremacist tenets, saying, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”
Within hours, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., condemned King, saying, “Everything about white supremacy and white nationalism goes against who we are as a nation.”
He went on to say, “Steve’s language is reckless, wrong, and has no place in our society. The Declaration of Independence states that ‘all men are created equal.’ That is a fact. It is self-evident.”
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., also denounced King. The National Review editorial board published an article with the title, “Dump Steve King.” Washington Examiner contributor Kimberly Ross wrote a rebuke of King as well.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the first African-American senator from South Carolina, slammed King, writing in an op-ed in the Washington Post, “King’s comments are not conservative views but separate views that should be ridiculed at every turn possible.”
Scott’s original point was that Republicans are accused of racism because they are silent in cases such as King’s. The tides seem to be changing.
Already, Gov. Kim Reynolds, R-Iowa, in the wake of his comments, declined to endorse King in his 2020 primary election after Republican state Sen. Randy Feenstra announced his candidacy for King’s congressional seat.
Bigotry is, of course, not just limited to the Republican Party. Democrats such as Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, have renewed Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s, D-Calif., line of attack by suggesting a federal judicial nominee is unfit to serve because of his Catholic faith. Save for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s, D-Hawaii, rebuke, Democrats have been largely silent. The same can be said about newly elected Reps. Ilhan Omar’s, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib’s, D-Mich., anti-Semitic comments.
It’s important to condemn bigotry in any instance, but a show of true consistency is speaking out when those on your side of the aisle are doing it.
