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Lt Gov Hashmi calls out Ga. congressman's anti-Muslim tweet
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RICHMOND — Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi is condemning a Georgia congressman’s call to deport Virginia state Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Fairfax, calling the remarks “vile, xenophobic, and anti-Muslim” in an op-ed published Friday in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hashmi wrote the op-ed in response to comments posted last week on the social media site X by U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., targeting Salim over legislation banning the sale of certain assault-style weapons in Virginia.
Clyde wrote: "Saddam Azlan Salim, who immigrated from Bangladesh, authored Virginia’s new unconstitutional gun ban. Attempting to naturalize those who hold beliefs that are incompatible with our Constitution is a recipe for disaster — in this case, disarmament. Denaturalize. Deport. Defend 2A."
Hashmi wrote in response: “Rhetoric such as Clyde’s is never harmless; it perpetuates violence, scapegoats entire communities and is antithetical to the core principles of our democracy.”
Hashmi, who immigrated from India to Georgia as a young girl, was the first Muslim to serve in the Virginia Senate and is now the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in the nation.
Salim said Friday he viewed Clyde’s comments as a targeted attack tied to both his religion and his policy positions.
“We have patrons in the House with bills related to assault weapons and immigration who do not get the same level of attacks,” Salim said. “I am glad LG Hashmi is taking a lead in speaking out about this type of hate that divides rather than building coalitions."
Salim patroned a bill that bans the buying or selling of a semiautomatic rifle or pistol with a fixed magazine capacity in excess of 15 rounds, subject to up to 12 months in jail. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the bill into law last week.
In her op-ed, Hashmi said that Clyde "would never have made such racist and bigoted comments about the other state senator who was the actual author of the law," referring to Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, who is white and native to Virginia.
"I would ask Clyde if he would belligerently declare that this other champion of gun safety subscribes to beliefs that are 'incompatible with our Constitution.' I suspect not," Hashmi wrote.
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