A group of Muslim high school students attempting to meet with a Republican Oklahoma lawmaker were asked to complete a survey about their adherence to Sharia law that included questions like, “Do you beat your wife?”
State Rep. John Bennett (R) confirmed to the Tulsa World in a Friday email that he asked three students who stopped by his office during an annual “Muslim Day” event at the Capitol to complete the questionnaire.
“CANT REFUTE FACTS!” Bennett told the World. “According (to) her testimony in the Hadith (a collection of Muslim sayings and traditions), Muhammad physically struck his favorite wife for leaving the house without his permission.”
Bennett has in the past referred to Islam as a “cancer” that is “not even a religion.” Last year, he received the “National Defender of Freedom Award” from the Center for Security Policy, one of the country’s largest anti-Muslim groups.
He ultimately did not speak to the visiting students, according to the World.
The Council of American-Islamic Relations of Oklahoma, which organized the “Muslim Day” event meant to connect Muslim constituents with their representatives, claimed that the questions were produced by ACT! for America, another anti-Islam organization. The group’s name and the email address for the local chapter is visible on the document.
CAIR Oklahoma Executive Director Adam Soltani posted a video to Facebook from the Capitol addressing the survey. Another question on it read, “Mohammed was a killer of pagans, Christians and Jews that did not agree with him. Do you agree with this example?”
Soltani called the questions “stupid, Islamophobic, hateful, [and] bigoted.”
