{"id":243275,"date":"2026-05-25T20:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/243275\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T20:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:20:09","slug":"religious-leaders-denounce-vernikov-for-anti-muslim-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/243275\/","title":{"rendered":"Religious leaders denounce Vernikov for anti-Muslim post"},"content":{"rendered":"

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN \u2014 An interfaith group of religious leaders and political representatives gathered Thursday at Brooklyn Borough Hall to denounce southern Brooklyn Councilmember Inna Vernikov for posting what they called a blatantly anti-Muslim remark on social media.<\/p>\n

The speakers, who ranged from imams to ministers to councilmembers, called Vernikov\u2019s comment \u201cdangerous\u201d and \u201cincendiary,\u201d noting she posted it on X just days after a terrorist attack\u00a0at the Islamic Center of San Diego left three Muslim men dead. They urged City Council Speaker Julie Menin to hold Vernikov accountable.<\/p>\n

The May 15 post shows a video of Muslim men<\/a> from a mosque within Vernikov\u2019s district in Sheepshead Bay praying on the sidewalk. Her comment implies that the men posed a danger to \u201clittle Jewish girls\u201d in a school next to the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

It read: \u201cThis is an ALL GIRLS Jewish school in my district. I\u2019m all for prayer and free speech, but why do a bunch of GROWN MEN need to do this right outside of a school full of little Jewish girls??? Is not this what MOSQUES are for? Is this intentional? Mayor Mamdani @NYCMayor any words of wisdom on why all of a sudden they\u2019d feel compelled to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n

The post drew 2.9 million views, and attracted dozens of insulting and divisive comments in response.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a second post later that same day, Vernikov acknowledged that she had just learned about the existence of a mosque next door to the girls school. \u201cLooks like there is a mosque<\/a> right near the school, and these may be congregants. But the alarm from my constituents is understandable \u2026\u201d she wrote in part.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Al Madina Mosque is on East 16th Street, next to the Bnos Leah Prospect Park yeshiva for girls on East 17th Street.<\/p>\n

Vernikov, a Ukranian-Jewish Republican representing neighborhoods including Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Midwood, has a history of posting strongly pro-Israel and virulently anti-Muslim rhetoric \u2014 including a post in October 2025 calling then-mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim, a \u201cterrorist lover<\/a>,\u201d and predicting \u201cJihad is coming to NYC\u201d if he were to win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In October 2023 she was arrested after openly carrying a firearm<\/a> to a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Brooklyn College. (The charges were later dropped by the Brooklyn District Attorney\u2019s Office.)<\/p>\n

\"Center:Center: Afaf Nasher, executive director of the New York Council on American-Islamic Relations. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

\u2018Hold her accountable\u2019<\/p>\n

Vernikov\u2019s post \u2014 following so closely after the attack in San Diego \u2014 left members of the Muslim community reeling, speakers at Borough Hall said. They called for Menin to remove Vernikov from the Council\u2019s Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which she co-chairs, as well as the Jewish Caucus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Menin had previously committed to hold Vernikov accountable if she repeated her inflammatory conduct, they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that none of this violence happens in a vacuum, and that is what brought us here today,\u201d said Afaf Nasher, executive director of the New York Council on American-Islamic Relations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The mosque and the school have co-existed peacefully for 10 years, Nasher said. The two institutions are neighbors \u201cwith mutual respect and understanding for well over a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

The men shown in the video gather every Friday for their afternoon prayer, she said. When the mosque is full, as it was on the day that Vernikov filmed, the overflow crowd moves outside to the sidewalk. The prayer takes place after the students next door have been dismissed for the day, since the Jewish students leave early on Fridays. The praying men \u201chad no interaction with the yeshiva, personnel or administration, their students, nor were they on the property,\u201d Nasher said.<\/p>\n

Vernikov\u2019s post suggests that the men\u2019s \u201cmere presence outside of the school for Jewish girls is nefarious,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery woman on earth understands that this is a threat of sexual violence, a well-known trope often used to debase people of color and Muslims, and attack their humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr.Dr. Debbie Almontaser, founder and CEO of Bridging Cultures Group and founder of Brooklyn\u2019s Khalil Gibran International Academy. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Almontaser: \u2018Islam teaches us to care for our neighbors\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an educator, I was absolutely outraged to see the post by the councilwoman,\u201d said Dr. Debbie Almontaser, founder and CEO of Bridging Cultures Group and founder of Brooklyn\u2019s Khalil Gibran International Academy. \u201cIslam teaches us to care for our neighbors \u2014 40 in front of us, 40 behind us, 40 on the right and 40 on the left. And the unity that existed within that community was disrupted by this one post.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we allow such rhetoric to happen, [we get] what happens in San Diego. Not just to Muslims \u2014 we see it in synagogue and churches as well,\u201d Almontaser said.<\/p>\n

Rev. Michael Blake, associate pastor at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in the Bronx, and former member of the state Assembly, said Vernikov should be removed from the Antisemitism Task Force.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us be very clear that we have no tolerance for hate. That people must be able to pray in peace, worship in peace, live in peace. \u2026 You should not have to worry about going to sleep and waking up to hateful rhetoric from an elected official,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of us are safe until all of us are safe,\u201d said Bobby Sackman, a member of Jews for Racial and Social Justice. \u201cI am a constituent of Vernikov. Many Jews are distraught by her hateful activities. From Trump and the federal government to Vernikov in the City Council, so many people in power fuel this hateful violence.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Imam Abdul Aziz, a member of the Council of African American Imams, compared Vernikov\u2019s post to the rhetoric that led to Jan. 6. \u201cWhen you look at the damage to people who just want some peace \u2014 the human family. Next thing you know you have negative action.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are asking the City Council to do the right thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Julie Won, who represents western Queens, said that as an Asian woman, she has also experienced discrimination. Won described Vernikov as \u201csomeone who cannot recognize our struggles are the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single word you say and type has consequences. When you use your power as an elected official to [spread hate], you no longer deserve to be an elected official,\u201d Won said.<\/p>\n

\"BobbyBobby Sackman, a member of Jews for Racial and Social Justice, reads a statement condemning anti-Muslim rhetoric. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Menin\u2019s staff connects with Vernikov<\/p>\n

Menin\u2019s spokesperson told the Brooklyn Eagle on Friday that the speaker had tried to connect with Vernikov but had not able to reach her.<\/p>\n

However, a member of Menin\u2019s senior staff did make personal contact with Vernikov to express the speaker\u2019s concern with the rhetoric, and asked her to clarify her comments, according to the spokesperson. Menin also notified the Jewish Caucus co-chair, Democratic Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, to relate her concerns about the post\u2019s content, including its inaccuracies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Menin\u2019s office pointed out that she has taken a stronger stance against such abhorrent rhetoric than speakers have previously, including removing Queens Councilmember Vickie Paladino from numerous committees over her own Islamophobic<\/a> comments.<\/p>\n

Menin (also an ex officio member) can\u2019t unilaterally fire her \u2014 Vernikov\u2019s membership would have to be voted on by the Jewish Caucus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Eagle reached out to Vernikov\u2019s office twice for comment but did not hear back by press time.<\/p>\n

Speakers at the Borough Hall press conference included:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Afaf Nasher, Executive Director of Council on American-Islamic Relations New York; Abdullah Alebdy, President of Majlis Ashura aka Islamic Leadership Council of New York; Imam Abdul Aziz, Council of African American Imams; Reverend Michael Blake, Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church; Dr. Debbie Almontaser, founder and CEO of Bridging Cultures Group; Bobbie Sackman, member of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice; Councilmember Julie Won; Japreet Singh, President of Khalsa Community Patrol; Reverend Doctor Kahli C. Mootoo, pastor of The Historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church; Waheed Akhter, President of NYPD Muslim Officers Society and Yasser Salem, OneNYC Chair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN \u2014 An interfaith group of religious leaders and political representatives gathered Thursday at Brooklyn Borough Hall…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243276,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,13005,100,99,33165,19077,5324,7081,9,24,5325,63],"class_list":["post-243275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-borough-hall","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-inna-vernikov","tag-julie-menin","tag-mary-frost","tag-mosques","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-no-paywall","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}