Fox News Condemns Jeanine Pirro’s Remarks on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Hijab
SCOLDING
Questioned whether Omar’s hijab could be “indicative of her adherence to Sharia law.”
Mike Segar/Reuters
Fox News says it “strongly condemns” comments made by Jeanine Pirro linking Rep. Ilhan Omar’s practice of wearing a hijab to Sharia law, a remark that was widely denounced as Islamophobic. Pirro’s remarks “do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly,” Fox News said in a statement Sunday, a day after Pirro stoked controversy on her Justice With Judge Jeanine show. While discussing Omar’s controversial statements about Israel, Pirro appeared to spread a conspiracy theory about the freshman Minnesota Democrat’s religion. “Think about it: Omar wears a hijab. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?” Pirro asked. On Sunday night, Pirro said in her own statement that she “did not call Rep. Omar un-American” and only intended to “ask a question and start a debate.” “But of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution,” she said.
