School Board Member's Anti-Muslim Facebook Posts Stir Anger

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A member of the Toms River Regional Board of Education on Wednesday night refused calls by residents and two Muslim organizations to resign over postings he made on Facebook accusing one member of Congress of being a terrorist and saying "life would be complete" if another one died.

Daniel P. Leonard of Beachwood, who is the borough's representative on the Toms River school board, made the postings about Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib back in April. But screenshots of the posts surfaced in recent days and were sent to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called Leonard's posts racist and anti-Muslim and demanded his resignation.

That call was echoed by the group Muslim Advocates and by New Jersey Lt. Governor Shelia Oliver.

"We are disheartened by the racist comments made by a school board member in Toms River," Oliver said in a post on her Facebook page Wednesday. "His hateful language is counter to the best interests of our students and does not represent our values. Governor Phil Murphy and I urge him to resign. The New Jersey Department of Education is also looking into this matter."

The condemnations continued at the Toms River school board meeting on Wednesday evening, with both statements that Leonard should resign and demands for the board to remove him.

"If I made a comment like that or a judge made a comment, we would be removed," said Ehsan F. Chowdhry, who was a former assistant prosecutor in Atlantic and Ocean counties. Chowdhry, who grew up in Toms River and graduated from Toms River North in 1994, said public officials, including school board members, are held to a higher standard whether they like it or not.

"We support freedom of speech," Chowdhry said, "Someone who makes these comments on social media, you make yourself visible."

The posts Leonard shared in April that stirred up the controversy included multiple posts about Omar, calling her a terrorist and referencing remarks she made regarding 9/11. Critics accused Omar of minimizing the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 in the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. Others have said Omar's comment was taken out of context and that she was trying to draw a distinction between the terrorists who committed the attacks and the Muslim population, USA Today reported.

But it was the post about Tlaib, in which Leonard shared an article where the headline says she called for hunger strikes to protest actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with the comment "My life would be complete if she/they die ..." that sparked the most anger.

"No one should threaten the life of anyone," said Joseph Champagne, an attorney from South Toms River who has two children in the district. "This is the wish for someone’s death. That can incite a person to violence."

Shokria Monawer of East Brunswick said the posts, including one of a Barbie doll wearing a hijab and with a black eye that referenced sharia law, are threatening to Muslim girls and women.

"That was a threat to me," she said, referencing the post about Tlaib. "My daughters wear hijabs in school. How are they supposed to feel safe?"

Monawer also took the board to task.

"I have yet to hear one board member condemn what he said. I’ve seen him sitting here smirking. You guys as board members should be condemning this," she said. "This person feels such hatred toward me for wearing this (hijab). Why?"

Leonard said his comment on the Tlaib post was not a death threat, but a reference to the hunger strike. "She's trying to shut down a federal agency. Let her starve to death, who cares," he said.

"I am embarrassed and ashamed," said Joy, a Toms River resident who said her children all graduated from the district and who has five grandchildren in the schools now. She said that while the board may not be able to remove Leonard, "as individuals we can stand up against what was said."

Matt Gaston, a lifelong Toms River resident, said his in-laws were the first African-American teachers in the Toms River schools. His father-in-law, T.O. Brunson, is honored at Toms River South.

"He would be turning over in his grave hearing the conversations going on right now," Gaston said.

"It's embarrassing," said Zachary Dougherty, who graduated from Toms River North in June. "To see we are trending on Twitter nationally over a school board member's comments? Toms River has to be better. It’s how we represent who we are as TR."

"If you are a public servant, you need to ask yourself: Are you fit to serve the people who elected you?" Dougherty said. "We have tremendous problems facing us. We are in the fight of our lives to make sure our education (funding) is adequate. Public servants must to what is best for their constituents and the students."

Omar and Tlaib are the first two Muslim-Americans to serve in the House of Representatives. Omar came to the United States with family 20 years ago as a Somalian refugee. She has since become a naturalized American citizen. Tlaib, meanwhile, was born in the United States. The two are among four freshmen members of Congress who have been attacked repeatedly by President Donald Trump, including in recent tweets where he said they should "go back where they came from," despite the fact that Tlaib and the other two — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley — were born in the United States.

Leonard said the screenshots sent to CAIR for political reasons, to stir up trouble. Leonard, who was a registered Republican, left the Republican party in 2018 and has been an independent since. He has battled publicly on social media with a number of people, particularly longtime Republicans, and has been openly critical of former Ocean County Republican boss George Gilmore.

In May and June, Leonard supported the write-in campaign of local real estate broker Glen Kelly, who sought to unseat Beachwood Mayor Ronald Roma. Kelly's write-in campaign failed, but the vitriol associated with it has lingered.

Some in attendance called for the school board to oust Leonard.

"He’s entitled to his feelings, but as a public official he needs to make sure he keeps those comments to himself," Wesam Berjaoui of East Brunswick said. "If you don’t force him to resign you’re just as bad as him."

Toms River school board attorney Melanie Appleby said there is no mechanism for the board as a whole to take action against Leonard or any board member over social media posts. Board members and members of the public can file ethics charges, but there is no policy of the Board of Education that dictates what is or is not acceptable behavior.

Board member Michael Horgan said social media behavior for board members was an issue the board will have to address. "

Appleby also said the voters in Beachwood have the ability to make the decision at the ballot box. Leonard was elected to the Toms River school board in November 2016 and his seat is up for election this year.

"Words matter. Actions matter," said Azra S. Baig of South Brunswick, who cited not only the posts but conflicts Leonard had previously, as well as a recent accident and reckless driving citation that resulted from what Toms River police said was a road rage incident. "What more needs to happen for him to resign?"

"This is just a dignity thing," Chowdhry said. He said a civil rights complaint has been or will be filed in the matter. "I’m not asking him to like us, but at some point there should be some mutual understanding."

After the meeting, Leonard spoke with several of those in attendance who spoke out against his comments, first in the auditorium and then police officers moved the group outside.

One of the women brought up the issue of the Barbie sharia law meme, which she said implies that violence against women is the norm among Muslims. Leonard said, "That is how people interpret sharia law." Berjaoui told him domestic violence goes against the teachings of the Quran. "Domestic violence is a universal problem," Monawer said.

"I don't hate anyone," Leonard could be heard saying at one point. But from the looks on the faces of those he was speaking with, it didn't appear they believed him.

"This is not done," said a Toms River woman who departed the meeting before it was adjourned and was not part of the discussion afterward. "Mr. Leonard, you are not untouchable," she said.

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