MICHIGAN — Republican national committeeman Dave Agema referred to Arabs as “camel jockeys” in a Facebook post on Oct. 19. This is not the first time Agema, a former state legislator, has smeared Arabs and Muslims. Last year, the Republican politician questioned Muslims’ contributions to the nation in a Facebook post. In January, Michigan Republican Party Chairman Bobby Schostak asked Agema to step down over anti-gay and anti-Muslim remarks. 

Agema has made several false claims about Muslims and Arab-Americans in Michigan, including that Dearborn is infested with sleeper cells and that Muslims have contributed nothing to American society. 

Referring to an article entitled “[Watch] Time for a dogfight-ISIS Now training in captured Fighter Jets With Iraqi Defector Pilots”, Agema wrote in a Facebook post, “I wouldn’t be too concerned over this. American or Israeli fighter pilots could take all of these out in a single day. We had a saying in the Air Force that camel jockeys don’t make good fighter pilots and the Israelis proved this to be accurate. The question is, will our politicians permit this to continue or destroy them before they can do any damage? A preemptive strike by friendly forces should be in order, but our commander-in-chief  I’m sure will once again shrink in his duties and not support this concept.” 

“We call on Governor Snyder to condemn Agema’s latest racist remarks,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid in response to the post. “As the symbolic leader of the GOP in the state, the governor’s failure to condemn Mr. Agema by name for his racist comments gives many in the Arab and Muslim communities the impression that he silently approves the comments.”

Walid also mentioned that a series of racist comments coming from members of the GOP nationwide might influence how American Muslims vote in the upcoming midterm election. After Agema made the Oct. 19 remark, Lieutenant governor Brian Calley tried distancing himself and Snyder from him. Calley would not say whether he wanted Agema to step down. 

“We all need to be very, very careful about what we say and how we say it, in particular when we are talking about groups of people or trying to classify groups of people,” Calley said in an interview with WSJM radio. “It is just not appropriate and there is no place in public discourse for it.” 

In a Facebook post, State Rep. Rashida Tlaib who is serving her last term said, “I’m so glad I’m not serving with this un-American and racist person anymore.”

The Take on Hate Campaign, a project of ACCESS, issued a statement regarding Agema’s remarks saying it was outraged at him referring to Arabs as “camel jockeys.” 

The statement read: “The Michigan Republican Party, including Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, must condemn Dave Agema for this blatant mocking and discrimination of the Arab American community. These are not the first anti-Arab or anti-Muslim comments that have been spewed by Mr. Agema and unless representatives of the Republican Party reprimand him for his words and actions, they certainly won’t be his last.

“Michigan is home to the most highly concentrated Arab American community in the entire country. Arab Americans have been instrumental in building this state, boosting the economy and working side by side with fellow Michiganites. If comments like these go unchecked in a state like Michigan, it opens the door for this acceptable bigotry in other states.

“Once and for all, Arab Americans need to be treated with dignity and respect and comments such as those of Dave Agema will not be accepted or tolerated.”