ST. LOUIS 鈥 A group representing 18 area Islamic centers called Wednesday on Lewis Reed, president of the Board of Aldermen, to apologize for what it calls Islamophobic remarks he made about his March primary opponent, state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed.
鈥淲e condemn this baseless Islamophobic attack, call on Mr. Reed to apologize and urge (Democratic) party leaders to denounce this sort of behavior,鈥 said Faizan Syed, executive director of the .
Syed鈥檚 remarks came a week after the Post-Dispatch reported that Lewis Reed鈥檚 chief of staff, Tom Shepard, filed a complaint with the Election Board, saying Nasheed was ineligible to run against Reed because her name is not the legal name on city property records.
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Nasheed, a state senator, was born Jenice Williams but had her name legally changed in 2005. One property she owns is listed under Williams. Another is listed under Williams 鈥渁ka Jamilah Nasheed.鈥
Reed said he would not back down.
鈥淚 will not apologize. I will never apologize,鈥 Reed said. 鈥淛amilah Nasheed is using one name publicly but still buying property under her old name. In 2015, she bought a Mercedes under Jenice Williams and other property. If she legally changed her name, that would be bank fraud. It is an issue.鈥
A Nasheed spokesman said the campaign would not have an immediate comment. State documents obtained by the Post-Dispatch show that the vehicle Reed is referring to was purchased under the name 鈥淛amilah Nasheed.鈥 She sold that vehicle and now leases a newer model, also under the name 鈥淛amilah Nasheed.鈥
Syed said the United States had a documented history of many African-Americans鈥 converting to Islam and changing their names to reflect their new faith.
鈥淔or those individuals, a name change is part of their new identity and represents a rebirth,鈥 Syed said. 鈥淔amous examples of this include Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X.鈥
Though Islam does not require converts to change their name, many do, Syed said.
鈥淢alcolm X preached that most African-Americans carry surnames that were the name of their former slave masters, and they would change their names to 鈥榞et out of the slave name,鈥欌 Syed said.
Reed and Nasheed have a long history of conflict, which has only been heightened during the campaign for board president.
At a debate last month, Reed called Nasheed a 鈥渄ouble agent鈥 and Nasheed called Reed 鈥淟ying Lewis." He claims she pretends to fight for the downtrodden in 50度灰视频 but then votes with Republicans in Jefferson City. She is adamant that she did not meet recently with millionaire Rex Sinquefield despite Reed's claims. Sinquefield has been involved in various efforts involving 50度灰视频 including eliminating the earnings tax and the current airport privatization proposal.
After Syed鈥檚 comments in a news release, he led a news conference outside City Hall Wednesday morning. He said that he and Reed had spoken earlier in the day and that he did not consider Reed to be Islamophobic. However, Reed鈥檚 鈥淚slamophobic tropes are very troubling to us.鈥
He said calling a Muslim a 鈥渄ouble agent鈥 was one of those tropes. The term is often used to plant doubts about the loyalty of a Muslim American and ties to terrorism organizations, Syed said.
Syed said Reed defended his support of Muslims by mentioning that he was pivotal in the successful election of John Collins-Muhammad to the Board of Aldermen in 2017. Reed has also been critical of the 鈥淢uslim ban鈥 by the administration of President Donald Trump and has had an imam lead prayer before an aldermanic meeting.
Collins-Muhammad has been paid $4,250 by Reed鈥檚 re-election campaign. As the payments came in, Collins-Muhammad changed his position on a bill he co-sponsored that would have required a public vote on any airport privatization proposal.
Collins-Muhammad鈥檚 switch came after Alderman Cara Spencer voted against Collins-Muhammad鈥檚 bill calling for a second public vote on whether to reduce the Board of Aldermen to 14 members from 28. 50度灰视频 residents voted seven years ago to make the cut, which goes into effect in 2021.
Reed told the Post-Dispatch that putting Collins-Muhammad on the campaign payroll was unrelated to any changes in support of bills at the Board of Aldermen and that there was no impropriety in having Collins-Muhammad work for him.
Collins-Muhammad said payments from Reed had no impact on how he voted.
鈥淢y votes, my perspective, my politics 鈥 I cannot be bought,鈥 Collins-Muhammad said. He said he changed his vote after Spencer changed hers.
鈥淪he cares about the airport. I care about my ward,鈥 Collins-Muhammad said, concerned that a reduction in wards could lead to less African-American leadership.
In addition to Reed and Nasheed, the board president race includes Alderman Megan Ellyia Green and former alderman Jimmie Matthews.
Syed encouraged the candidates 鈥 specifically Reed and Nasheed 鈥 to call it quits on the name-calling and turn their talk to policy issues so voters can make a more informed decision at the ballot box.
Editor's note: This version restores a paragraph from an earlier version of this story that detailed recent examples of conflict between candidates Reed and Nasheed.聽