The small town of Gurley, Alabama will now undergo diversity training after an ill-perceived Facebook post had Alabama Muslims calling for officials to take action against “bigotry.”
It all started when local police chief Barry Pendergraft shared a picture of thousands of rounds of ammo that had been dipped in bacon grease. While many received the post as hostile to the Islamic faith, the chief later clarified that bacon grease is sometimes used as a lubricant needed to reload shell casings.
The state arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was quick to react to the image and call for an investigation. The town’s mayor, Robert Sentell acted quickly, and has since stated that he found no wrongdoing in the post and believed that Pendergraft meant no ill will.
The group’s Executive Director, Khaula Hadeed, said that she was satisfied with the city’s response.
“We had a positive discussion in which the mayor’s office agreed that Chief Pendegraf’s posts could cause offense and place minorities in danger,” Hadeed said. “Most people reading the posts viewed them as anti-Muslim hatred, which unfortunately has been a very real issue with very real consequences for the Muslim community.”
To address the controversy, Sentell agreed to allow CAIR-Alabama to host a diversity training session for Gurley employees.
“At a time of increased attacks and incidents of hate against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim nationwide, we believe it is essential that public service staff and officers are adequately trained and are able to serve the community fairly and justly without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, or religion,” she added. “Sentiments that appear to single out particular communities make us all less safe.”
No date has been announced yet for the diversity training workshop.
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