Washington Governor and Democratic Presidential Candidate Jay Inslee visited the Islamic Center of Detroit Tuesday to speak with community members and listen to issues that matter to Muslim communities.
Moderator Dawud Walid from the Michigan chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) began the discussion with a question on Inslee’s views on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) targetting Israeli companies.
“I’m not a member of that movement. I don’t agree with everything in that movement, but I do believe freedom of speech has to be defended in the United States,” Inslee said.
The BDS movement’s purpose is to create financial pressure against the Israeli government in an effort to bring attention to the reported injustices many believe Palestinians are facing.
Michigan Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow co-sponsored the Anti-BDS bill, which calls for the government to boycott companies and individuals who participate in the BDS movement.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is a supporter of the BDS movement, and has received backlash for her stance. Inslee spoke out against President Donald Trump’s racist remarks toward Tlaib and other congressmen to “go back home.”
“That is unacceptable. It is un-American, and we should all be standing up against that attack of [the Muslim] community and every other community,” he said.
Inslee was the first governor to speak against Trump’s Muslim Ban, and his home state of Washington was one of the first states to sue.
“We’ve now defeated Trump 22 times in a row and I’m happy about that record,” he said.
Inslee will be on stage at the Democratic Debates at Fox Theatre Wednesday night.
