Republicans mull resolutions that critics call anti-Muslim

A local GOP leader urged fellow Republicans to introduce a resolution at Tuesday precinct caucus meetings that would require attendees to "denounce sharia law, swear to support and defend the United States Constitution and prohibit the use of the Qur'an in the taking of this oath."

Dave Sina, the chair of the Fourth Congressional District Republicans, also claimed in a recent Facebook post to have discovered a plot by local Muslim-Americans to "infiltrate" the GOP precinct meetings.

Bryan Strawser, a Republican gun rights activist, condemned the sentiment in a Twitter post Tuesday: "I'm so tired of this from activists and others in my party who don't understand how this hurts us across the state," he wrote. "This resolution is wrong, and I'll do everything I can to stop it."

Other resolutions were also floating among Republican activists, including one that would prohibit an Islamic leader from giving an invocation at any Republican convention or event. Another called for an end to what it called "Islamic indoctrination" in public schools.

The resolutions threaten to alienate a fast growing segment of the Minnesota electorate.

DFL Chair Ken Martin condemned Sina's proposed resolution: "Posting such a bigoted comment on caucus day is clearly intended to send a signal as to who is, and is not, welcome in Minnesota's Republican Party," he said in a statement.

Jennifer Carnahan, chair of the Minnesota Republican Party, said anyone can offer up anything as a resolution at their precinct caucus, so she said did not want to prematurely judge the situation.

She added: "The Republican Party of Minnesota is open and welcoming to anyone and everyone who shares our values and wants to be involved, and we would never shut our doors to anyone who wants to be involved."

J. Patrick Coolican • 651-925-5042