Plano mayor calls for councilman to resign after controversial post on Islam

PLANO, Texas - The mayor of Plano is calling for the resignation of a council member who shared a Facebook post about banning Islam in schools.

Councilman Tom Harrison shared a video from a page called “Joined Hands Across America for Trump.” It showed several students wearing hijabs in classrooms and asked people to “Share if you think Trump should ban Islam in American schools.”

Mayor Harry LaRosiliere was quick to condemn the post, which has since been taken down. He asked Harrison to step down from the city council at a Wednesday news conference. The mayor said the city was flooded with calls, emails and social media posts from the community.

“He is unfit to represent this richly diverse city,” the mayor said. “This is inconsistent with who we are. And for the betterment of our city, for the sake of our city, the best course of action for Mr. Harrison to take is to resign.”

Imam Omar Suleiman, who founded the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research at Southern Methodist University, called on voters to stop the nonsense.

“He needs to resign. And if he doesn't resign, then we're going to make sure we hold the city accountable and we hold him accountable," he said.

Several community members also attended the mayor's news conference. They wanted to hear answers after seeing Harrison's post.

“I thought it was amazing,” said Suzanne, a Plano resident. “The mayor took this, addressed it head on, held a press conference and responded to it.”

“Wow. I can’t believe you shared this! As a citizen of Plano, I am embarrassed that you represent my beautiful MULTI- cultural city!” Michelle Klutts Solis commented on the original post.

“My message to everyone within the Islamic community is this is their home,” Mayor LaRosiliere said. “They're welcome just like anyone else is.”

Harrison issued an apology late Wednesday afternoon, asking for forgiveness and saying his intent was not to target Muslims. He said his actions reflected poorly on the city.

"My intent on inputting this on my personal Facebook page was to emphasize that Christianity is not the only religion being targeted for exclusion in our public school," he wrote. "It was not meant as a personal attack against the Islamic faith."

In his post, Harrison did not address the calls for his resignation.

LaRosiliere would not say how the council plans to move forward if Harrison refuses to resign. But according to a city ordinance, Harrison could face a recall election if a petition with enough verified signatures from voters is filed.