Legally Blonde actress Selma Blair has apologized for leaving an Islamophobic comment on social media, saying she “inadvertently confused Muslims with fundamentalists.”
Blair, 51, came under fire after eagle-eyed netizens spotted her comment under a video on Instagram.
In the Feb. 2 post, the Cruel Intentions actress called for the deportation of Democratic Reps. Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, who is Muslim, referring to them as “terrorist-supporting thugs.”
The comment, since deleted, read: ‘Deport all these thugs who support terrorism. Islam has destroyed the Muslim countries and then they come here and destroy the minds. They know they are liars. Twisted justifications. May they find their destiny.’
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, condemned the statement and called on him to apologize.
Selma Blair apologized after being accused of Islamophobia for a comment she left on an Instagram video
The February 2 comment called for the deportation of Democratic Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, calling them “thugs who support terrorism” and stating that “Islam has destroyed Muslim countries.”
The Legally Blonde actress, 51, claimed she “wrongly and inadvertently confused Muslims with radical Islamists and fundamentalists.”
“Based on the hateful and ignorant comments Ms. Blair made, we doubt she ever had meaningful interactions with her Muslim colleagues in Hollywood or other members of the American Muslim community,” said Deputy National Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell.
“We encourage Ms. Blair to apologize and also invite her to engage in dialogue with our community.”
On Tuesday, Blair returned to social media to post a lengthy apology. “This is a time of great pain and distress for many people around the world, but it is also a time to learn and better understand the importance of words,” she wrote.
Blair said he had commented on a post “about two members of Congress who are against banning the October 7 Hamas terrorists from entering the United States.”
The original post criticized Bush and Tlaib for voting present on the ‘Hamas Terrorist Immigration Benefits Ban Act,’ which would prevent foreign nationals who participated in or facilitated the October 7 Hamas attacks from seeking aid related to immigration to the United States.
“In my comment, I wrongly and inadvertently confused Muslims with radical Islamists and fundamentalists, a terrible mistake in my words, and it resulted in hurting countless people that I never intended to do, and I deeply regret it,” Blair continued, adding that he quickly deleted the comment.
‘I was wrong to write and I fully acknowledge how I contributed to the Muslim community being understandably very upset. I respect and love all peace-loving communities, all over the world.
‘It was my Muslim friends who helped educate me and show me the way. I am committed to repaying your love and understanding. We cannot allow ignorance and anger to become (sic) our downfall.’
“I was wrong in my writing and I fully acknowledge how I contributed to the Muslim community being understandably very upset,” Blair wrote before reaffirming her support for “all marginalized communities.”
The 51-year-old received a lot of support for her apology, while other netizens commented that the statement seemed false.
Some critics noted that the apology did not address his comments about Tlaib (left) and Bush (right).
Blair ended the apology by reaffirming his support for marginalized communities and promising to “do better.”
While his followers flocked to the comments, many of whom posted the colors of Israel’s flag, others saw the expression of regret as disingenuous.
“No, you’re just posting this because it caught your attention, don’t lie,” one netizen commented.
Others assured Blair that he had nothing to apologize for. ‘You never said anything about ALL Muslims. You have no reason to apologize,’ wrote one user.
‘He said that Islam has destroyed the Arab countries. Pretty generalized for me. “It’s disgusting,” responded another.
In the wake of her apology, Blair was also criticized for posts she liked on X, formerly Twitter.
These included vague statements denouncing ‘Antifa’ and ‘the woke agenda,’ as well as a viral conspiracy theory linking an early version of Minnesota’s new state flag to Somalia.
‘Armed citizens do not need legislation to defend themselves or their state/country. It’s our God-given right to do so,” reads a comment I liked.
Netizens noted that they had liked other anti-Muslim comments, including one that called Islam “the religion of evil, created in hell” and another that considered it “a hateful (sic) and violent sect.”
Blair was also criticized for posts she liked on X, formerly Twitter, including one that called Islam “the religion of evil, created in hell.”
The actress received criticism for liking a post that appeared to denounce gun control, which read: “Armed citizens do not need legislation to defend themselves or their state/country.”
Blair’s account on the platform and her own tweets have since been deleted.
Blair’s account on the platform has since been deleted.
“Selma Blair’s stupid apology completely ignores the tweets she liked and the replies she had made here,” one X user commented.
‘How dishonest and false. The same goes for the articles I’ve read about it, completely overlooking it. Disgusting.’
The actress also drew the ire of Briahna Joy Gray, Bernie Sanders’ former national press secretary.
“To be clear, this apology does not address the fact that Selma Blair said Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush should be deported, and broadly disparaged Islam for “destroying” Muslim countries,” Gray wrote.
‘The video he liked and commented on also called Tlaib an “idiot,” a “hateful anti-Semite” and a “liar.” Blair not only contributed to “disinformation.” And this apology does not answer.’
Rates of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have skyrocketed in the United States since October 7, when Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli cities, killing civilians and taking hostages.
The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased 388 percent in the four weeks after October 7, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Likewise, CAIR reported that the number of Islamophobic incidents in the United States increased by 216 percent during the same period.