9/11 terror attacks made Dem congressional candidate more 'aware' of 'anti-Muslim bigotry': unearthed op-ed
An ordained Christian minister running for U.S. Congress in Iowa penned an opinion piece sharing how the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — carried out by radical Islamic terrorists —...
By Fox News · Fox News
An ordained Christian minister running for U.S. Congress in Iowa penned an opinion piece sharing how the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — carried out by radical Islamic terrorists — made her more "aware" of the "rising anti-Muslim bigotry and its harm." Sarah Trone Garriott is one of three Democratic candidates vying for the battleground seat held by Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa. Garriott, an Iowa state legislator and Lutheran minister, wrote the opinion piece for the Iowa Capital Dispatch in response to the "hateful messages" she received after she shared a prayer with Arabic words written by a Muslim woman on the statehouse floor in February 2021. "They said horrible stereotypical things about my Muslim neighbors — Sharia law, hating freedom, violent religion," Garriott wrote. "There were others who made comments about the United States being a Judeo-Christian country and therefore Muslim prayers were not welcome. There were some attacks against me, as a Christian leader I was leading people astray, that I didn’t know what I was doing." MAGA HARDLINER PUSHES BAN ON IMMIGRATION FROM ISLAMIC COUNTRIES, US ADVERSARIES IN WAKE OF TEXAS SHOOTING She said the pushback "convinced" her there is a greater need for "religious diversity." Garriott revealed that she began her master's degree in theological studies at Harvard University a day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. "On that religiously diverse campus, I was more aware of the rising anti-Muslim bigotry and its harm," Garriott wrote. "I am kind a biblical literalist, and when Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers, I took that to heart. I worked with my Muslim classmates to organize a meal to bring the community together during Ramadan." Meanwhile, Nunn had "a different response" to the 9/11 terrorist attacks by joining the Air Force, according to Nunn's spokesperson, Mark Matava. During his service, he "flew more than a hundred combat missions to defend America." "Sarah Trone Garriott has called Christianity 'threateni…