Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who was criticized by Muslim groups last year after a comment about Muslims’ support for establishing a strict Islamic state, appears to have made amends.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations California issued a co-endorsement in California’s U.S. Senate race for both Sanchez and her rival, fellow Democrat state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.
“For 20 years I have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Muslim American community and I am truly humbled and honored to have their support for United States Senate,” Sanchez said in a statement released Friday.
Sanchez said that, last month, she signed a letter addressed to the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Secretary to ensure that individuals inquiring about their placement on the No Fly List, known as the terrorist watch list, are not deprived of their due process rights. The congresswoman also said she is a co-sponsor the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016 to stop the slaughter of the Syrian people, encourage a negotiated political settlement and hold Syrian human rights abusers accountable.
Sanchez faced criticism after the San Bernardino terrorist attack in December when, during an interview with Larry King, she suggested that 5% to 20% of Muslims support a caliphate, a strict Islamic state. The congresswoman insists that her statement has not been refuted by any credible source.
Joe Salas, president of the CAIR California’s political action committee, which issued the co-endorsement, called Sanchez’s comment about the caliphate “irresponsible and repugnant.” But he said that Sanchez had a good record in Congress regarding protecting the civil rights of Muslims and other communities.
Harris, who was in Sacramento on Friday to address a state NAACP convention, called Sanchez’s comment “ignorant and misinformed.”
4:45 p.m.: This story was updated to include a comment from a representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations California and additional comments from Sanchez.