Kokomo councilman resigns after hateful Facebook comments resurface
KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — A Kokomo councilman who took office Jan. 1 resigned Friday after a Facebook comment he made in 2015 resurfaced earlier this week. In that comment, Greg Jones calls Islam a cult and its followers “goat humpers.”
Jones, a Republican, was elected in November 2019 to represent the city’s 4th district on the Kokomo Common Council. He had run unsuccessfully in 2015 for the same seat, according to Howard County Republican Party chair Jamie Bolser.
Jones submitted his resignation letter to the Howard County Clerk’s Office, and the Howard County Republican Party received notice. The party will call a caucus within 10 days and hold the caucus within 30 days to fill the vacancy, Bolser confirmed.
Bolser provided this comment about Jones’ resignation:
Hopefully by Mr. Jones resigning it can bring healing to this unfortunate situation. I believe Kokomo to be an inclusive community with opportunities for all regardless of race, religion, or personal preferences. We are all stronger when we are working together
Howard County Republican Party chair Jamie Bolsen
The Council on American-Islamic Relations on Friday released this statement about Jones resigning:
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the resignation of newly-elected Kokomo Common Council Member Greg Jones after Islamophobic posts to his Facebook page in 2015 calling Muslims “goat humpers” and referring to Islam as “a Theocratic Moon Cult.”
Jones said he no longer espouses his previous opinions and hopes “the people will see to forgive me for my sins of the past.”
“We welcome the decision by Mr. Jones to resign from his position on the council and hope this incident can become a learning opportunity for the entire community,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Since the comments surfaced, the former councilman’s Facebook page appears to have been taken down.
According to the Kokomo Tribune, the post said, “Islam is not a Religion it is a Theocratic Moon Cult. We should not give anything, especially the right to enforce their laws, to these 7th Century Goat-Humpers who have not figured out it is the 21st century.”
The post is dated back to June of 2015 along with other posts that share anti-islam and anti-LGBTQ views according to the Tribune. Jones tells the Tribune that he’s a changed man after researching Islam and admits it was ignorant and in bad taste, but even with the time that’s passed, not everyone agrees to let bygones be bygones.