Tyler Muslim, lifelong Republican grapples with anti-Muslim rhetoric within his party

Anwar Khalifa of East Texas Islamic Society spoke at an event honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, at Greater New Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Tyler. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

A Tyler community leader, Khalifa was recently profiled in a Buzzfeed News article about Muslim Republicans struggling with Islamophobia in their political party. Anwar Khalifa, owner of Pyramid Homes and a longtime member of the Smith County Republican Party, discussed his struggle to support candidates who have expressed anti-Muslim sentiments. Despite these challenges, Khalifa remains committed to the GOP and aims to mitigate fears and rhetoric within the party, leveraging his standing in the community.

While he is reluctant to support certain candidates, Khalifa told Buzzfeed that the GOP is still his party, and he’s going to stay and fight.

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