Activists Urge Florida Commissioners To Censure Lima-Taub for Hateful Islamophobic Facebook Post

Anabelle Lima-Taub. So much hate behind that smile. Photo: Facebook  

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Hallandale Beach, Florida, Commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub earlier this week posted a hateful message on Facebook that Rashida Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, was a "Hamas-loving anti-Semite" and that she would "blow up Capitol Hill."  The Commission is expected to vote tonight whether to censure Lima-Taub. The following message to City Commissioners urging censure is from  Madihha Ahussain, special counsel for anti-Muslim bigotry at Muslim Advocates.  

Dear Commissioners, I write on behalf of Muslim Advocates, a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination. 

We write to express our deep concern regarding Commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub’s hateful post calling a sitting member of Congress “a danger” who might someday “become a martyr and blow up Capitol Hill.” This type of rhetoric is alarming for the people of Hallandale Beach, and frankly, for all Americans. As we outline in our Running on Hate report, this kind of hateful rhetoric is widespread and it encourages bigotry and violence against American Muslims.

This is especially troubling at a time when hate crimes against American Muslims and other communities are at an all time high. Elected officials have a responsibility to protect the communities they serve and  look after the interests of their constituents, regardless of their faith.

Commissioner Lima-Taub has demonstrated that she is not capable of doing this in Hallandale Beach, and we believe that she should resign immediately. 

We’re thankful that the City Commission is considering an official censure of her actions: we urge you to vote in favor of this resolution and send a strong message to your community that bigotry is unacceptable. 

We encourage you to vote for censure as a first step and to strongly encourage Commissioner Lima-Taub to step down so someone more capable of actively serving people of all faiths should take her place.