Education

Plano City Council Member Calls on President Trump to Ban Islam in Public Schools

A Plano City Council member is under fire after posting a video to Facebook calling on President Donald Trump to "ban Islam in American schools." The video, posted Tuesday night by Tom Harrison, first elected to an at-large spot on the council in 2015, rotates through several photos of happy...
If something starts with "share if you think Trump should" you probably shouldn't share it.

Tom Harrison via Facebook

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

A Plano City Council member is under fire after posting a video to Facebook calling on President Donald Trump to “ban Islam in American schools.”

The video, posted Tuesday night by Tom Harrison, first elected to an at-large spot on the council in 2015, rotates through several photos of happy school kids, apparently suggesting that some of them are Muslims or are otherwise promoting sharia law in American classrooms.

By midday Wednesday, Harrison, who did not return multiple requests for comment Wednesday morning, hadn’t taken the post down or issued any statement as to why he shared it in the first place. Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere will comment on the post at a 2 p.m. press conference, according to the city.

When news happens, Dallas Observer is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.

We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If the Dallas Observer matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.

$30,000

Editor's Picks

Here’s the screenshot, for when the post, inevitably, gets deleted or made private.

Tom Harrison via Facebook


Omar Suleiman, the Irving imam who led the charge to oust several Irving City Council members who supported an ordinance banning sharia law in the suburb in 2015, condemned Harrison in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Tom Harrison

city of Plano

“In Irving, we unseated all 5 city council members who targeted the Muslim community with that anti-Shariah nonsense. So Tom, I hope you’ve enjoyed your time in office, but you’re done,” Suleiman said. “To the community in Plano and wider Dallas: Let’s make an example out of this bigot. Vote him out, then talk to him later. We have the numbers and the will to do it.”

Related

Update: 3:00 p.m. – At his press conference, LaRosiliere said that Harrison should resign from the city council. “He is unfit to represent us,” LaRosiliere said.

GET MORE COVERAGE LIKE THIS

Sign up for the This Week’s Top Stories newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox

Loading latest posts...