Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt was scheduled to host a Clark County prayer breakfast Friday, but he will not attend because of a controversial guest.
Leavitt said Wednesday it is an important event that honors civic leaders, first responders and service members.
But he said the keynote speaker, former Army Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin, brings a message of intolerance that doesn’t correspond with the beliefs of Vancouver residents.
Boykin served in the Army 36 years. In interviews and writings, Boykin has said the war on terrorism is a Christian war against Satan, and that followers of Islam are “under obligation to destroy our Constitution.”
“This organization should be looking for a speaker who is a uniter, not a divider, someone who embraces tolerance and inclusiveness,” Leavitt told KGW. “Best I can tell, Lt. Gen. Boykin doesn’t.”
Boykin contends that part of the problem is what he calls a willful blindness in America, a failure to recognize the dangers of the Muslim brotherhood.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations calls Boykin a “notorious anti-Muslim bigot” and has urged mayors to drop him as a speaker.