Legally blonde actress Selma Blair has apologized for her Islamophobic comment on social media, claiming she “inadvertently equated Muslims with fundamentalists”.
Blair, 51, came under fire after eagle-eyed internet users spotted her comment under a video on Instagram.
In the Feb. 2 post, the Cruel Intentions actress called for the deportation of Democratic representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, herself a Muslim, calling them “terrorist-supporting thugs.”
The now-deleted comment read: “Deport all these terrorist supporting thugs.” Islam destroyed Muslim countries and then they come here and destroy the spirit. They know they are liars. Twisted justifications. May they meet their fate.'
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country's largest Muslim civil rights organization, condemned the statement and called on her to apologize.
Selma Blair apologized after being accused of Islamophobia for a comment she made on an Instagram video
The Feb. 2 op-ed called for the deportation of Democratic representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, called them “terrorist-supporting idiots” and claimed, “Islam has destroyed Muslim countries.”
The naturally blonde actress, 51, claimed she had “mistakenly and unintentionally linked Muslims to radical Islamists and fundamentalists.”
“Because of Ms. Blair's hateful and ignorant statements, we doubt that she has ever had meaningful interactions with her Muslim colleagues in Hollywood or other members of the American Muslim community,” said Deputy National Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell.
“We encourage Ms. Blair to apologize and we also invite her to engage in dialogue with our community.”
On Tuesday, Blair returned to social media to post a lengthy apology. “This is a time of great pain and anguish for many around the world, but it is also a time to learn and better understand the importance of words,” she wrote.
Blair claimed she was commenting on a post “about two congressmen who oppose an October 7 ban on Hamas terrorists entering the United States.”
The original post criticized Bush and Tlaib for voting in attendance on the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act, which would prevent foreign nationals who participated in or supported the October 7 Hamas attacks from to apply for immigration assistance in the United States.
“In my comment I incorrectly and unintentionally equated Muslims with radical Islamists and fundamentalists, a terrible mistake in my words, and resulted in countless people being hurt, which I never intended, and for that I deeply regret,” Blair continued and added that she quickly deleted the comment.
“I was wrong in writing and am fully aware of how I contributed to the Muslim community being understandably very upset.” I respect and love all peace-loving communities around the world.
“It was my Muslim friends who helped educate me and show me the way.” I am determined to pass on their love and understanding. We cannot allow ignorance and anger to be our downfall.'
“I was wrong in writing and am fully aware of how I contributed to the Muslim community being understandably very upset,” Blair wrote, before reiterating her support for “all marginalized communities.”
The 51-year-old received widespread support for her apology, while other internet users commented that the statement was disingenuous
Some critics pointed out that the apology did not take into account her comments about Tlaib (left) and Bush (right).
Blair ended the apology by reaffirming her support for marginalized communities and promising to “do better.”
While her supporters flocked to the comments, with many posting the colors of the Israeli flag, others found the expression of regret disingenuous.
“No, you're just posting this because you were called out – don't lie,” one netizen remarked.
Others assured Blair that she had nothing to apologize for. “You never said anything about ALL Muslims.” “You have no reason to apologize,” one user wrote.
“She said Islam destroyed Arab countries.” Pretty generalized for me. “Disgusting,” replied another.
Following her apology, Blair was also criticized for liking posts on X, formerly Twitter.
These included vague statements condemning “antifa” and “the woke agenda,” as well as a viral conspiracy theory that linked an early version of Minnesota’s new state flag to Somalia.
“Armed citizens do not need legislation to defend themselves or their state/country.” “It is our God-given right to do this,” reads one like comment.
Netizens pointed out that they liked other anti-Muslim comments, including one calling Islam “the religion of evil created in hell” and another calling it “a hateful (sic) and “violent sect”.
Blair also came under fire for posts she made
The actress drew criticism for liking a post that appeared to denounce gun control and read, “Armed citizens do not need legislation to defend themselves or their state/country.”
Blair's account on the platform and her own tweets have since been deleted
Blair's account on the platform has since been deleted.
“Selma Blair's stupid apology completely ignores her like tweets and replies she's done here,” one X user commented.
“So dishonest and disingenuous.” The same goes for the articles I’ve read about it, which completely glosses over the whole thing. Disgusting.'
The actress also drew the ire of Briahna Joy Gray, Bernie Sanders' former national press secretary.
“To be clear, this apology does not address Selma Blair saying Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush should be deported and generally denigrating Islam as “destructive.”[ing]“Muslim lands,” Gray wrote.
“In the video she liked and commented on, Tlaib was also called an “idiot,” a “hateful anti-Semite,” and a “liar.” Blair didn’t just contribute to “misinformation.” And this apology goes unanswered.'
Rates of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have skyrocketed in the United States since October 7, when Hamas militants poured from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns, killing civilians and taking hostages.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased by 388 percent in the four weeks following October 7th.
Likewise, CAIR reported that the number of Islamophobic incidents in the US increased by 216 percent over the same period.