When the forces of intolerance rise up in bigotry and divisiveness, the voices of tolerance and inclusion must push back harder and louder. Every time.On Thursday night, the voices of tolerance and inclusion did just that. Tarrant County GOP leadership overwhelmingly beat back an ugly, bigoted anti-Muslim campaign to remove Shahid Shafi as the party’s vice chairman. Or as Shafi so graciously put it: “Today, the beacon of liberty held by the Statue of Liberty is shining brighter. My faith in our party, in our country, has been reaffirmed.”Score this a victory for decency. The intolerant internal fringe in the Tarrant GOP lost its effort to brand an entire party as one of ethnic and religious narrow-mindedness, and unlike those who opposed him, Shafi demonstrated spirit of inclusiveness.The trauma surgeon and Southlake City Council member didn’t point fingers at his accusers. Nor did he display anger toward those who had waged a vile campaign of innuendo, claiming that he supports Sharia law and is tied to terrorist-affiliated groups, allegations without a shred of evidence, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Texas Observer. Continue reading...

The Tarrant County GOP Has Beaten Back Bigotry and Hatred, But the Fight Is Far From Over
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