Robinson GOP chair resigns over anti- Islamic online posts
The chairman of the Robinson Township Republican Committee resigned Friday after it was revealed that he shared a number of Islamophobic posts on Facebook over several years.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations had called for Jack Cairns, who chaired the committee for about four years, to step down “over a slew of violently Islamophobic and hate- filled posts about Muslims.”
“Mr. Cairns has essentially called for violence, and even genocide, against an entire religious minority community,” Zohra Lasania, CAIR- Pittsburgh’s program director, said in a statement. “That this individual is representing the Republican Party should worry not only citizens in Robinson Township but also the entire GOP establishment.”
CAIR provided screenshots of two posts shared by Mr. Cairns that include his own captions.
One post, from April 9, 2017, shows a photo of the Islamic holy city of Mecca with the caption, “One nuke! Bye bye.” A post from Oct. 10, 2015, includes a video of a
woman shooting targets with the caption, “Too bad it wasn’t Muslims she was shooting!”
Another post written by Mr. Cairns on June 1, 2018, said, “Hate Muslims!”
Mr. Cairns said Friday that the posts “weren’t done with any intentions of trying to cause a genocide” and said they were “not the best choices.”
“I took them down almost immediately after I made them,” Mr. Cairns said.
Asked why he decided to continue making Islamophobic posts over several years if he quickly regretted them each time, he explained he was “just getting caught up in the moment.”
No members of the Robinson Township Republican Committee could be reached Friday.
The Republican Committee of Allegheny County said in a statement: “Today, we were made aware of offensive, anti- Muslim, Facebook posts made by a member of our Robinson Township Republican Committee, Jack Cairns. The RCAC in no way endorses the comments or views of Mr. Cairns, and we condemn, in the strongest terms possible, these hateful posts.
“The mission of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County is to foster the growth and prosperity of all residents of Allegheny County regardless of their race, religion, or creed.
“Mr. Cairns has resigned, effective immediately, from his membership within the Robinson Township Republican Committee and the Republican Committee of Allegheny County.”