Illinois state senator asked to resign after 'Islamophobic' social media posts

CHICAGO - An Illinois state senator is in hot water for social media posts that faith groups have called Islamophobic. 

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz replied to a post on X last week that referred to Westerners who praised Islam as "bootlickers" and suggested "They move to an Islamic country and stick their heads in the dirt multiple times a day for enlightenment."

Feigenholtz replied "You are a [bad***] truth teller" to the post.

Several faith groups, including the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR), called on Feigenholtz to resign as state senator.

"When the intent is clear and the track record is clear, again, our intelligence shall not be insulted. I think the only way forward, if she is truly sorry as a matter of fact, is to step down as a statement of her being sorry and to work on whatever issues she might have because she has lost confidence as far as constituents and as far as communities are concerned," said Ahmad Rehab, executive director of CAIR-Chicago.

CAIR also criticized an Oct. 13 post on Feigenholtz's personal Facebook page that quoted former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.

"We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us," the post said.

Feigenholtz issued an apology in a statement Friday:

"I made a mistake and, as a result, I shared a message I do not believe in. It was never my intention to reply to - let alone amplify that individual's inflammatory remarks. Everyone deserves to feel heard and respected, especially by their elected leaders. I apologize for the pain my action has caused, and I will work with my staff and colleagues to ensure this does not happen again."

The Jewish Council of Urban Affairs also condemned Feigenholtz's post:

"JCUA is troubled to learn of a deeply offensive social media post by Illinois State Senator Sara Feigenholtz. In a since-deleted tweet, Sen. Feigenholtz amplified blatantly Islamophobic, bigoted rhetoric that denigrates and dehumanizes Muslims. This hateful speech has no place in our public discourse — let alone shared by our elected officials."

Feigenholtz had been critical of the anti-semitic posts of the since-resigned Chicago Public Schools Board Chair Rev. Mitchell Johnson.

Feigenholtz has removed social media posts considered Islamophobic. She has not indicated that she would be stepping down.