JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan weighed in Tuesday as Duval County School Board member Anthony Ricardo continued to face backlash over a controversial social media post about Islam that groups claim he shared on his personal Facebook page.
Ricardo, who represents District 1, is facing calls to resign after he apparently reshared a reshare of the post, which said “Islam is not a religion,” calling it “a political cult masquerading as a faith.”
The original post appears to be an infographic created by Americans Against Islamification.
Ricardo’s reshare, which was captured in a screenshot that was shared by others, has since been removed from his personal Facebook page.
Several groups have publicly denounced Ricardo, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR Florida), the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida and OneJax, a Jacksonville nonprofit focused on interfaith programs.
OneJax posted a lengthy statement on Monday, saying “religious bigotry has no place in public education.”
Deegan joined the chorus of critics on Tuesday when she shared this statement:
This isn’t behavior the public expects from an elected official in charge of school system policy. Muslim students like all other students should feel welcome and parents deserve to know their children are safe. We must demand better. Religious prejudice does not belong anywhere in our city.
Mayor Donna Deegan
News4JAX left a message with Ricardo, seeking comment, but we have not heard back.
City Council member Jimmy Peluso echoed the call for Ricardo to resign, saying, “This is not about his right to speak; it is about his ability to lead and to inspire a supportive and safe learning environment for all students, faculty, and staff.”
Duval County Public Schools shares some demographic data broken down by district, but it does not include information about religious affiliations. Click here for the latest report on District 1.
The district responded to our request for comment with the following statement:
The views expressed by individual Board members reflect their personal perspectives and do not represent the collective position of the School Board or Duval County Public Schools.
Duval County Public Schools
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