PLAINFIELD TWP., Mich. — A Plainfield Township trustee is facing accusations of sharing an Islamophobic Facebook post that called for "a hunting permit to be used on Muslims."
Trustee Bob Reminga denies sharing the post, but the incident has sparked a broader conversation about hate and a call for unity.
Sharif Sahibzada, the imam at the Islamic Center of Grand Rapids, said much of the negative discourse surrounding Islam stems from misunderstanding.
"The main reason is this (post) one: they are not familiar, and they don't know the reality," Sahibzada said. "When the people know the reality, then they understand."
Sahibzada also pushed back on characterizations of the faith as a whole.
"99.9% {of} Muslims, they are peaceful. Because our faith is peace and our religion is peace," Sahibzada said.
Reminga said he had no prior knowledge of the post before being contacted.
"I didn't know anything about it. Not at all," Reminga said.
Reminga said he believed someone had falsely attributed the post to him or photoshopped with his name on it.
"I thought, who would do that? I wouldn't do anything like that. So it's obviously somebody took something and put my name on it and put it out somewhere," Reminga said.
During the interview, I showed Reminga the post directly. He had said he had only briefly seen it before that moment.
"That's a very mean thing to do. I mean, why would anybody do that about anybody?" Reminga said. After viewing the post, he added: "Yeah, that's very inappropriate."
On Thursday afternoon, the Plainfield Charter Township Board issued a statement regarding the post.
The statement read:
"The local government of Plainfield Charter Township was created for the sole purpose of serving our entire community, and we take that responsibility seriously.
To reaffirm this commitment, the Board of Trustees adopted the following mission statement and guiding principles: Plainfield Charter Township serves the public with integrity and respect, promoting an informed community where residents can prosper and businesses can thrive.
Plainfield Charter Township’s Guiding Principles Integrity is our cornerstone. Exceptional customer service is our promise. Professionalism is our practice.
Fiscal responsibility is our commitment. Safety is our pledge. Transparency is how we build the public trust. Collaboration is how we effect change.
Innovation will move us forward. Respect will be shown toward individual differences. These are the values adopted by the Board and carried out through their decision-making process. When a Board member makes a comment that does not align with the Township mission and guiding principles, they are speaking only for themself and not Plainfield Charter Township or other members of the Board of Trustees.
Under Michigan law, a township government cannot remove from office or withhold pay from an elected official for any reason. Furthermore, a township government has no authority to regulate the private speech of an elected official, which is a constitutionally protected right. This responsibility is reserved for township voters through the form of elections, reelections, and the recall process."
Sahibzada said combating hateful rhetoric requires compassion rather than confrontation.
"We are not enemy to each other because Almighty God has created us in a different color, different nationality, different language, different approach, but reality is we are human beings," Sahibzada said.
The township has scheduled a special meeting to address the alleged post. The meeting is set for Friday at noon.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
