Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., told New York Gov. Kathy Hochul she should wear a hijab every day after she wore a headscarf at a funeral for a New York City Police Department officer.
Cruz wrote, “Um, wut?” Friday in response to an image of Hochul wearing a hijab next to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, members of the NYPD and people sitting in religious clothing.
Hochul, a Democrat, said she wore a headscarf to honor Officer Didarul Islam, who died in a shooting at a Midtown building last week.
“Respecting a grieving family’s faith is ‘wut’ leaders and anyone with basic decency would do,” she said.
Cruz said on Sunday in an apparent sarcastic comment he agrees.
“You should wear a hijab every day because you are so damn decent,” he wrote. “Never mind the rights of women in New York … not your concern.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group, demanded Cruz apologize.
“If Ted Cruz has any remaining sense of human decency, he will apologize to both the family of slain New York City Police Department Officer Didarul Islam and Gov. Kathy Hochul for his despicable and disrespectful conduct,” the organization said in a statement. “Sen. Cruz should be ashamed of himself for daring to use a murdered Muslim NYPD officer’s funeral as an opportunity to amplify anti-Muslim hate.”
CAIR also pointed out how Cruz, a Christian, has previously worn a yarmulke, including at a 2016 presidential campaign event held in a Brooklyn, New York, Chabad.
“The fact that Mr. Cruz has repeatedly shown respect for Jewish beliefs by wearing a yarmulke at Jewish sacred spaces makes his attack on Gov. Hochul for similarly respecting a Muslim space all the more hateful and hypocritical,” the organization continued. “The next time Mr. Cruz visits a Catholic church, he should look up, notice the statues depicting Mary mother of Jesus, may God’s peace be upon them, wearing a scarf, and then ask himself why he hates the sight of the hijab so much.”
It’s unclear why Cruz said women’s rights are not Hochul’s concern, although he has expressed support for restrictions on the ability for transgender women athletes to compete with females. The governor has opposed similar bans and advocated for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, for whom she has announced protections as federal restrictions are rolled out.
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