The Council on American-Islamic Relations thanked NBC News Wednesday for a meeting it said took place after MSNBC host Joy Reid compared President Donald Trump’s supporters to some Muslims, saying they were both radicalized in a sense.
“Thank you @NBC for meeting to discuss our concerns about @JoyAnnReid‘s inaccurate, offensive remarks,” tweeted the council.
The tweet went on, “We appreciate your pledge to avoid Islamophobia in all forms. As we discussed, Ms. Reid must clearly apologize tonight. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in mainstream society.”
Monday, during the ReidOut, Reid said, “Leaders — let’s say in the Muslim world — talk a lot of violent talk and encourage their supporters to be willing to commit violence, including on their own bodies, in order to win against whoever they decide is the enemy. We in the U.S. media describe them as they are ‘radicalizing’ those people — particularly when they’re radicalizing young people. That’s how we talk about the way Muslims act. When you see what Donald Trump is doing, is that any different from what we describe as radicalizing people?”
Wednesday morning, Trump called for her firing in a tweet.
“Like Fredo at Fake News @CNN, the very untalented Joy Reid should be fired for this horrible use of the words ‘Muslim Terrorists’. Such xenophobia and racism on MSDNC. Anyone else would be gone, and fast!!!” he tweeted Wednesday morning.
Trump actually misquotes Reid in the tweet. At no point did she say “terrorists.”
Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the first Muslim women in Congress, also responded Tuesday, calling for an apology.
“Honestly, this kinda of [sic] casual Islamophobia is hurtful and dangerous,” wrote Omar. “We deserve better and an apology for the painful moment for so many Muslims around our country should be forthcoming.”
Tlaib followed up Omar’s comments, adding, “Words matter and these words feed into the harmful anti-Muslim rhetoric & actions that we continue to see in this country. It is even more painful to hear it from someone I admire. We deserve an apology.”
A tweet from the host said she will address the comments on Wednesday night’s 7 p.m. ET program.