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Community calls for censure or resignation after board member's alleged anti‑Muslim post
Summary
Speakers at the Gaston County Board of Education meeting demanded accountability for a board member's social‑media post they described as anti‑Muslim, with several callers urging resignation or formal censure and warning of political consequences if the board takes no action.
Speakers at the Gaston County Board of Education's April 20 meeting urged the board to discipline or remove member Todd Kinlaw after several public‑commenters said he posted anti‑Muslim content on social media.
The most direct call came from Sean Bates, president of the Gastonia branch of the NAACP, who told the board, "Mr. Kenlaw needs to go ahead and step down. We're beyond the point in which an apology would be acceptable." Bates and other speakers said Kinlaw's post included language they described as "Islam is a satanic death cult. Allah is Satan and Muhammad is a false prophet," which Bates identified as wording used by Kinlaw on social media.
The nut graf: community advocates, civil‑rights leaders and faith representatives framed the posts as a violation of the board's duty to protect students of all faiths and requested formal board action. Several speakers said they had lost confidence in the board's ability to represent and safeguard religiously diverse students.
Deanda Graham, vice president of the Gastonia NAACP, told the board the language amounted to "religious bigotry and ugliness" and said, "Calling for your resignation is not extreme. It is the bare minimum required to begin restoring trust." Ann Doss Helms, chair of Indivisible Gaston, called Kinlaw's post a violation of the district's anti‑discrimination standards and asked the board to censure him.
Muslim community members described fear for students. Omar Marzuk, representing the Charlotte Muslim Caucus, recounted an assault on a hijab‑wearing student and warned that inflammatory rhetoric from public officials can encourage violence. Jabril Huff said the language "puts our students in danger" and called for Kinlaw's immediate dismissal.
Board members did not take action on the floor during the meeting. Speakers said they had seen insufficient apology or contrition; one commenter summarized the board response he'd been told from Kinlaw as, "I do not regret this except to a little degree," a characterization made by a public speaker, not the board member during the meeting.
Several commenters linked their demand for accountability to upcoming elections and pledged to hold the board to account at the ballot box if it did not act.
The meeting record shows no formal motion, vote, or censure against Kinlaw at this session; public speakers handed written statements to the board clerk for the record.
