Congressman Royce Denounces Violent Remarks, No Word From Miller

Last Friday, activists around the US sprang into action after the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) posted this video on YouTube [alternate version here], showing protesters outside of a Muslim community fundraiser. The protesters shouted slurs such as, "Muhammed was a child molestor," "why don't you go beat up your wife like you do every night," and "you beat your women and you rape your children.”

Though the greatest outrage came when Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly mentioned she had a son serving in the Marines then added, "I know quite a few Marines who would be happy to help these terrorists to a, uh, early meeting in paradise."

The video quickly gathered more than half a million views on YouTube, was covered in on a multiple high profile blogs, and we launched a petition here on Change.org calling on Congressmen Ed Royce and Gary Miller, who both spoke at the rally, to denounce the hateful and violent rhetoric.

After we posted the petition on Congressman Royce’s Facebook wall seeking a response, he commented:

“We spoke at the park adjacent to the community center, and I spoke to the issue of Wahhaj and Malik-Ali, the speakers at the community center. It is regrettable that some protesters at the community center yelled insults at Imam Wahhaj’s supporters. I disavow those remarks and conduct. It was wrong. Nothing should deflect from the radicalism of Wahhaj and Malik-Ali.”

As of yet, we have not heard a response from Congressman Gary Miller as to whether or not he supports the hateful and violent rhetoric captured in the video of the rally.

The event the Congressmen were protesting was a charity fundraiser hosted by the relief wing of Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). Two speakers at the event, Siraj Wahhaj and Abdel Malik Ali, have made controversial statements in the past, and the protest was ostensibly organised in response to their presence. However, as seen in CAIR’s video, the protesters insulted and threatened violence against any who came to the event.

The specific threat from Councilwoman Pauly is disputed – she has claimed the video was edited to take her comments out of context. However, she did not reply to a request for a written version of her statements as prepared.

But dispute or no dispute, it is clear that Congressman Royce knows there was behavior he needs to distance himself from. The question is, will Congressman Miller do the same? Please add your name to the petition to demand that he does.

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