SMF Calls on Baltimore County School Board Member to Apologize and Resign Over Anti Muslim Post

The Shia Muslim Foundation is calling on Baltimore County Board of Education member Maggie Litz Domanowski to publicly apologize and resign after she shared a Facebook post invoking Sharia law to portray Islam as a threat to women's rights. According to a report syndicated by Yahoo News, Domanowski shared the image on Sunday and added her endorsement, writing, “not wrong.”

The image showed the Peanuts character Linus holding a sign that read, “If you fear Maga will take away women's rights, then you should learn about Sharia law.” Domanowski's decision to amplify that message is unacceptable for an elected education official entrusted with serving Muslim students, parents, teachers and staff.

SMF condemns this post as anti Muslim fearmongering. Using Islam and Sharia as political scare words to portray Muslims as a threat to American women is irresponsible, prejudicial and incompatible with the obligations of a public school board member.

SMF is calling on Domanowski to remove the post, issue an unequivocal public apology to the Muslim community and resign from the Baltimore County Board of Education. An apology is necessary, but it does not erase the judgment shown by an elected official who chose to endorse a message that reduces an entire faith tradition to a warning about the loss of women's rights.

Maryland Muslim lawmakers demand an apology

The Maryland Legislative Muslim Caucus also called on Domanowski to apologize, saying her post was anti Muslim and offensive to members of the Muslim community. The statement was issued by Delegate Sean A. Stinnett, chair of the caucus.

Words matter, particularly when they come from individuals who hold positions of influence and public trust.

The caucus said remarks that stereotype Muslims or cast suspicion on them because of their faith contribute to division and intolerance and can make Muslim Americans less safe. It asked Domanowski to acknowledge the impact of what she shared, apologize publicly and state that religious discrimination and hatred have no place in public discourse.

CAIR Maryland calls for apology or resignation

CAIR Maryland condemned Domanowski's post on Monday and called on her to remove it, publicly apologize and reaffirm her commitment to Muslim students and families, or resign.

CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said public officials serving on school boards have a special responsibility to treat every child and family with dignity and respect regardless of faith. SMF agrees with that assessment and believes resignation is warranted even if an apology follows.

A public official responsible for Muslim students

Domanowski is an elected member of the Baltimore County Board of Education representing District 3. She was elected in 2022 and is seeking another term this year.

The Maryland State Board of Elections candidate list shows Domanowski and Kelli Slattery McClelland as the active candidates for the District 3 seat in the November 3, 2026 general election.

For SMF, the issue is not that Islamic jurisprudence, Muslim governments or religious doctrines are immune from criticism. Muslims themselves debate religious law and public policy. The issue is a sitting school board member endorsing a political meme that uses Islam as a generalized threat while holding authority over a school system that serves Muslim children and families.

Muslim families should not have to wonder if an elected official overseeing their children's schools views their faith as a threat. Maggie Litz Domanowski should apologize to the Muslim community and resign from the Baltimore County Board of Education.

American Muslims remain subject to the same federal, state and local laws as every other American. The Constitution also prevents government from establishing religious law while protecting the right of Americans to privately practice their faith.

SMF said those basic distinctions matter when elected officials discuss Islam.

Domanowski Is Seeking Another Term

Domanowski was elected to the Baltimore County Board of Education in 2022 and currently represents District 3. She is seeking another term in the November 3, 2026 general election. Maryland election records list Kelli Slattery McClelland as her opponent in the nonpartisan race.

McClelland has also condemned Domanowski’s post, describing it as fearmongering and offensive toward Muslims.

The controversy therefore comes only weeks before Baltimore County voters begin deciding who will represent District 3 for the next four years.

SMF Praises FBI for Stopping Alleged ISIS Attack on New York State Capitol

WASHINGTON, DC — The Shia Muslim Foundation praises the FBI and its law enforcement partners for arresting an Albany woman accused of planning an ISIS inspired bombing of the New York State Capitol. The arrest also highlights a fact often missing from public discussion: ISIS threatens American Muslims, has planned attacks against Shia mosques in the United States and promotes teachings that American Muslims firmly reject.

ISIS does not represent Islam or American Muslims. Its ideology violates Islamic teachings on the protection of human life, places of worship and civil society. American Muslim communities have repeatedly rejected ISIS, reported suspected extremist activity and worked with law enforcement to protect the public.

The threat to American Shia Muslims is direct. ISIS considers Shia Muslims enemies and has murdered Shia worshippers across several countries. Supporters of the organization have also planned attacks against Shia mosques in America.

In November 2023, Xavier Pelkey received a 15 year federal prison sentence for conspiring with two minors to attack a Shia mosque in the Chicago area. Federal court records state that the three ISIS supporters planned to enter the mosque, separate adults from children and kill the adults using firearms, ammunition and explosives.

If police did not intervene, they planned to proceed to another Shia mosque or possibly a synagogue and continue killing people until law enforcement killed them. The FBI found homemade explosive devices at Pelkey’s residence containing staples, pins and thumbtacks intended to act as shrapnel. Pelkey pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

SMF reported another alleged plot against a Shia mosque in July 2025. Authorities charged a 16 year old after he allegedly entered IEC Husaini in Glendale Heights, Illinois, during worship, recorded the building and congregation and gathered information for a planned explosive attack. Law enforcement reportedly recovered a concealed firearm and other evidence during the investigation.

These cases show that ISIS inspired violence in America threatens government officials, the general public, American Muslims and other religious communities.

Federal authorities arrested Jessica Bowie, 35, on August 19 after she accepted what she believed to be an explosive device and firearm. According to the criminal complaint, Bowie pledged allegiance to ISIS, conducted surveillance at the New York State Capitol and sought to kill state senators while they were meeting.

“Make no mistake about it, Ms. Bowie’s alleged plot was serious, it was dangerous, and thanks to the partnerships on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, it was foiled,” said Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albany Field Office.

SMF commends the FBI Albany Joint Terrorism Task Force, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Secret Service, New York State Police, Albany Police Department, Albany County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations for stopping the alleged plot before anyone was harmed.

“American Muslims reject ISIS and everything it teaches,” said Rahat Husain, Executive Director of the Shia Muslim Foundation. “ISIS has killed Muslims around the globe and has inspired plans to murder Shia worshippers here in the United States. We are grateful to the FBI agents and local officers whose work stopped this alleged attack. Protecting America from ISIS requires cooperation between law enforcement and the Muslim communities that ISIS also threatens.”

SMF calls on federal and local authorities to maintain direct communication with Muslim communities, include anti Shia extremism in threat assessments and help mosques obtain training and security resources. Reports involving ISIS propaganda, mosque surveillance, weapons or threats against worshippers must receive immediate attention.

Dr. Noor Zaidi Leads Major Project to Preserve Sayyida Zainab Shrine Archives

The Shia Muslim Foundation commends Dr. Noor Zaidi for leading an important international effort to preserve, restore, and digitize the Sayyida Zainab shrine archives in Damascus. The project brings serious academic scholarship together with the knowledge and stewardship of the families and institutions that have protected this history for generations.

A recent UMBC feature details the work of Dr. Zaidi, an assistant professor of history at UMBC whose research focuses on the Middle East and South Asia, gender, sectarianism, and Shi’a Islam. Her current project centers on the Makam of Sayyida Zainab, one of the most important sacred sites in Shi’a Islam and one of the comparatively few major Islamic shrines associated with a woman.

Dr. Zaidi is working with Father Columba Stewart and the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library in Minnesota, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon, and the Mourtada family of Damascus. UMBC reports that the Mourtada family has served as custodians of the shrine for more than 800 years. The result is an international interfaith preservation effort that respects scholarly standards and the local custodianship that kept these records alive.

Years of patient scholarship

Dr. Zaidi first visited the shrine with her family more than two decades ago and has researched it for about fifteen years. She began archival work at the shrine in 2012. During the conflict, Hani Mohsen Mourtada opened the family archive to her, including photographs and legal records. After his death, Sayed Mazen Al Mourtada continued that cooperation and preserved materials that had been moved to Beirut for safekeeping.

“The Makam (Shrine) of Sayyeda Zainab in Damascus is not merely a religious site; it is a historic institution whose significance extends across centuries, borders, and communities. Associated with Zainab bint ‘Ali, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, the shrine has preserved traditions, archives, and religious practice that constitute an important part of the cultural and historical heritage of Syria and the wider Islamic world.”

Her persistence is visible throughout the project. War in Syria, threats to the shrine, difficult travel, and the pandemic interrupted the research. Zaidi returned to the work when conditions allowed.

“The continued independence of the Shrine of Sayyeda Zainab is of profound historical importance. Its autonomy allows the shrine to remain a living religious and cultural institution rather than becoming an instrument of changing political interests or state agendas.”

Recording what was lost

The digitization project will not treat the surviving archive as complete. UMBC reports that missing or destroyed documents will be identified as such. Future scholars will be able to see not only what survived, but where war, displacement, and time broke the record.

"Shia sacred history is too often discussed in public only through conflict or geopolitics. This project preserves another record: religious life, community memory, legal documents, craftsmanship, architecture, and the people who cared for the Makam across generations. It also gives students and scholars a stronger basis for studying Sayyida Zainab as a religious, historical, and cultural institution."

UMBC notes that the shrine has attracted visitors across communities and that renovations at the Makam preserved local Damascene tilework and craftsmanship. Zaidi’s work takes that layered history seriously. It does not reduce the shrine to a single political era or a single modern narrative.

Dr. Zaidi deserves real credit for staying with this research through years of instability and for building a project that places Shi’a history within serious academic study while respecting the people who preserved the archive. Her work also shows what can happen when universities, religious institutions, archivists, and local custodians cooperate with care and transparency.

SMF congratulates Dr. Zaidi and the full project team. The digitization of the Sayyida Zainab shrine archives can become a lasting resource for scholars, students, and communities seeking a fuller understanding of one of Shi’a Islam’s most significant sacred sites.

Read the full UMBC feature on Dr. Noor Zaidi and the Sayyida Zainab archive project.