Hillsborough County (Andy Callahan, Creative Commons)

Scott Barrish, the GOP candidate, sent an email to Hassan Shibly, Tampa’s executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The email was apparently in response to Shibly's piece, "U.S. Muslims are not the enemy." 

"Dear Hizballah Apologist," wrote Barrish, referencing the terror group, "I have done my research and can see right through your feeble attempts at promoting Islam as a religion of peace and under persecution by non-believers."

Barrish signed the email identifying himself as a member of the Hillsborough County Republic Party executive committee, prompting criticism from the county party’s chairwoman.

"He was absolutely in error using his title as a member of our committee – he does not speak on behalf of the Republican Party or Republicans across Hillsborough, and I have told him that," said Chairwoman Debbie Cox-Roush, according to Tampa Bay Online. 

In an interview with Tampa Bay Times Barrish said he studied Islam for two years. "The folks who defend Islam, the tactic is, 'He's an Islamophobe' or 'He's a bigot.' But I challenge them, where have I misstated fact?" he told the Tampa Bay Times.

In a press release CAIR demanded that both state and national Republican leaders repudiate Barrish's comments.

"It is imperative that Republican Party leaders at the state and national levels repudiate these bigoted comments and take concrete steps to challenge the growing perception that the GOP is not a big tent party that welcomes Muslims," Shibly said in the statement.

CAIR is the largest Islamic-American civil advocacy group. The organization was listed by the government as having ties to a radical front group for Hamas.

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