Trump Hijab Post Sparks Outcry Over Targeting of Muslim Schoolchildren
Trump Hijab Post Sparks Outcry Over Targeting of Muslim Schoolchildren
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Civil rights groups and political leaders have criticized President Donald Trump after he reposted a social media message highlighting hijabs worn by Muslim kindergarten students in Minnesota.
The post, originally shared by the conservative account End Wokeness and later amplified by Trump on Truth Social, focused on a kindergarten graduation ceremony at Gateway STEM Academy, a public charter school in St. Paul. The image showed young children wearing caps and gowns, including several Muslim girls wearing hijabs.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the president used his platform to draw national attention to young Muslim students and warned that such messaging could contribute to discrimination against minority communities.
CAIR’s Minnesota chapter linked the post to a broader rise in anti-Muslim hostility, citing recent incidents of violence and bias targeting Muslim communities.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also condemned the post, saying children should not be placed at the center of political disputes over religion, immigration, or identity.
The controversy comes amid continuing criticism of rhetoric targeting Minnesota’s Somali American and Muslim communities. Trump has previously made remarks about Somali immigrants, while federal immigration enforcement in the state has expanded under his administration.
CAIR’s latest civil rights report recorded thousands of bias complaints, which the organization said marked its highest total since it began tracking such incidents.
Critics said the issue is not a debate over public education, but whether young Muslim children should be used as symbols in a wider political and ideological conflict.
