Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said Monday it was a "badge of honor" to be labeled an anti-Muslim extremist by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR, which describes itself as the nation's largest Muslim advocacy organization, announced it was adding Tuberville to its list of anti-Muslim extremists "in the wake of his increasingly hateful and dangerous attacks on Alabama Muslims, including his recent targeting of Alabama Muslim K-12 school children."
The organization recently criticized Tuberville's comments opposing the Islamic Academy of Alabama's effort to relocate a new school to a busy area in Hoover. Earlier this month, the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to deny the school's request, following considerable pushback from Tuberville and city residents.
Tuberville, who has announced he is running to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Kay Ivey in 2026, introduced two pieces of legislation in October aimed at banning the application of Sharia law in the United States. He also delivered a fiery speech on the Senate floor warning that radical Islamic extremism poses a national security threat to the country.
"Sharia law is fundamentally anti-American and has no place in our country," Tuberville said at the time. "If you want to peacefully practice your religion, you have every right to do so under the Constitution. But if you want to come to the United States and advocate for the practice of Sharia law over U.S. law, you should not be here.
"We do not want people who chant 'death to America' residing in our communities and endangering our families. We must protect American values, not apologize for them. I hope my colleagues can come alongside me in this effort to preserve our constitutional and God-given rights."
Also, following a terrorist attack against the National Guard in Washington, D.C., last month, Tuberville called for a ban on all Islamic immigrants and the deportation of any Islamist currently living in the U.S. The ambush-style attack allegedly was carried out by an Afghan national.
CAIR said Tuberville's comments echoed those made by segregationist and former Alabama Gov. George Wallace.
"Senator Tuberville appears to have looked at footage of George Wallace standing in a schoolhouse door to keep Black students out and decided that was a model worth reviving — this time against Muslims," CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor said in a news release. "His rhetoric belongs to the same shameful chapter of American history, and it will be taught that way."
Tuberville responded Monday on X, saying he will not back down.
"Badge of honor," he wrote. "I will NEVER stop fighting for AMERICANS and our Constitutional values."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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