Elmwood Park, NJ – School Board Member Resigns Over Anti-Muslim Facebook Posts

Elmwood Park, NJ – A New Jersey school board member resigned Friday after backlash over posts she made on Facebook disparaging Muslims.

Gladys Gryskiewicz resigned from the Elmwood Park school board, citing concerns about the safety of her family, The Record reported .

Gryskiewicz posted on Facebook earlier this year that Muslims should stay “in your desserts (sic) and follow your religion in your own countries.”

In another post, she wrote: “Why now are we giving into (sic) the Muslims way of life? The French told them to get lost. This is what our President should be emulating.”

Her comments drew outrage, including from some students, state lawmakers and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called for her resignation.

“It’s unfortunate that Ms. Gryskiewicz would cite safety concerns when there is no evidence that her family is in any kind of danger,” James Sues, CAIR-NJ’s executive director, said in an email Friday. “This is further evidence of her bigoted view of the world in that it implies that minorities are prone to violence.”

She told WPIX-TV earlier this week that she has no disrespect for Muslims and that her posts were directed toward one story that alleged a Muslim woman disrespected the national anthem.

“I have no disrespect for Muslims,” she told the TV station. “I could have used better wording but it wasn’t toward the Muslim community, it was toward this woman.”

She was elected to the school board in November.