California D.A. retweets 9/11 attack images as he slams Mamdani

A California district attorney reposted the 9/11 footage on social media along with comments criticizing the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s first Muslim mayor. Despite the bloody images and harsh accusations against Mamdani, Dan Dow insists he has no problems with the Muslim community in San Luis Obispo County, where he is the top prosecutor.

Dow said in a statement emailed to The Times on Thursday that he has “strong ties” to the community.

However, his posts were met with backlash and an organization defending Muslims is demanding an apology and investigation.

Dow on Wednesday retweeted a post In

A. second visual tweet, Footage from two angles of a plane crashing into one of the towers was more graphic than the first. The message was shared by the leader of an activist organization described by some as a hate group, which claims to be “combatting threats from Islamic supremacists, radical leftists, and their allies.”

Each was published following the New York City mayoral election won by Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist.

The posts were retweeted and subtweeted by Dow days later and 3,000 miles away, prompting rebuke from some locals in a story that first broke. By San Luis Obispo Tribune.

Dow responded to an email from the Times and said his issue was not related to the county’s nearly 500 Muslim population. According to the Assn. Department of Religion Data Archives.

“I shared the posts because in my opinion, Mamdani, as a self-proclaimed socialist, will destroy New York,” Dow said. “I support the Muslim community and have strong ties to our Muslim community in San Luis Obispo.”

The first post Dow retweeted came from the account @EndWokeness, which promised its nearly 4 million followers to “fight, expose and mock wokeness.”

The second post came from Amy Mekelburg, the founder of the Rise, Align, Ignite and Reclaim (RAIR) Foundation, which is listed as a hate organization by the USA. Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Council’s Los Angeles office Request was made to Dow on Thursday evening apologize and “Retract anti-Muslim social media posts.” CAIR-LA is also seeking an independent investigation into Dow’s conduct and his “fitness to continue serving as a prosecutor.”

The organization is angry at the retweet of Mekelburg, who they describe as a “known anti-Muslim extremist”.

Mekelburg wrote a rather large message in the video post, saying that she “gave my whole self” to warn the world “about the threat of Islam after 9/11.”

“And now…to see New York (my city) standing in this moment where someone like Zohran Mamdani could be elected,” he wrote. “God, New York, what have you done?”

CAIR-LA said Mekelburg “erroneously equates Mamdani’s election with 9/11 and reinforces the harmful stereotype that Muslims are inherently committed to terrorism simply because of their faith.”

Dow subtweeted this particular post with a message that began by highlighting his 32 years of service in the U.S. Army and four tours abroad.

“I remember it like it was yesterday when our nation was attacked by Islamist extremists on 9/11/2001,” he wrote. “I love this country and in no way share the same views as 33-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani.”

He added in his tweet: “I am deeply saddened to see the Big Apple torn apart by the election of an un-American socialist who wants to trample on the values ​​and freedoms for which millions of Americans have fought and died.”

“Dow’s decision to republish content that weaponizes bigotry and baselessly links a Muslim elected official to terrorism is appalling and reflects the dehumanization and fear-mongering that American Muslims have endured in this country for decades,” CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said in a statement.

Dow’s posts were echoed by Dr. Dow, one of his Muslim allies in San Luis Obispo, who referred to the district attorney as a “personal friend” to the San Luis Obispo Tribune. It also got on Rushdi Cader’s nerves.

Cader he told the Tribune “The posts were highly provocative and put Muslims at risk of harm, especially hijab-wearing Muslim women like my wife Nisha, whom Dan ‘prayed to be blessed with peace’ as he described as ‘a kind and gentle woman.'”

Cader added that he thought Dow’s “outrageous post” stemmed from “disagreement with Mamdani’s policies” rather than any direct attack on Islam.

Dow’s tweets sparked other rebukes.

San Luis Obispo County Second District Supervisor Bruce Gibson called Dow a “Christian nationalist.”

Dow “holds a powerful public office that requires decency and discipline,” Gibson said. “This post is another example of him having neither.”

San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart emailed The Times to say the city welcomes all community members.

“Dan Dow, as the district’s District Attorney, must by definition be objective and fair,” he wrote. “It is unacceptable for someone in his position to express racism.”

The Dow had its defenders, too.

Orange County District Attorney. Todd Spitzer serves on Dow at the California District Attorneys Association. Spitzer is the organization’s secretary and treasurer, and Dow is its president.

Spitzer found no fault with Dow’s social media posts.

“Elected officials have a platform where they can share their views and be evaluated by their constituents,” he wrote in an email. “It is heartbreaking to see someone who has expressed such anti-public safety and anti-Semitic sentiments elected as mayor of New York, and we, as elected guardians of public safety, have the right to express that.”