Blue Jays player faces backlash after reposting Islamophobic content on social media following U.S. midterms
‘Baseball is for everyone,’ Toronto Blue Jays spokesperson told CBC Toronto Thursday
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spokesperson → face → everyone
Community organizations and advocates are speaking out after a Toronto Blue Jays player posted Islamophobic content on social media following the U.S. midterm elections.
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player → speak → elections
In a series of Instagram stories that were later taken down, right fielder Anthony Santander reposted one reel featuring video of the newly-elected Michigan Senator Abdul El-Sayed with the caption, "America voted for Sharia last night," and another that said, "Islam is not peaceful."
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Islam → take → Sharia
The reels, originally created by the American Truth Project account and a Gospel of Jesus Christ minister, caused outrage on social media.
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reels → create → media
While Santander's decision to repost them sparked backlash from Canada's Muslim community.
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decision → repost → community
His stories were "hurtful" for many Muslim baseball fans, said Ahmad Al Qadi, a senior advisor at advocacy organization National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).
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Qadi → say → Muslims
"It puts them in a position where they're now questioning whether they have a place in the sport, whether they have a place in Canada," he told CBC Toronto.
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he → put → Canada
"It's incredibly disappointing to see this kind of rhetoric being displayed by someone like Anthony Santander."
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kind → see → Santander
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Santander, 32, played 56 games during the Blue Jays' 2025 run to the World Series, but missed the entirety of this past season following shoulder surgery.
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Santander → apologize → surgery
He previously played eight seasons in Baltimore, including an all-star year in 2024, and is now in the middle of a five-year, $92.5-million deal with Toronto.
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He → play → Toronto
CBC Toronto has reached out to Santander and his agency for comment.
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Toronto → reach → comment
Al Qadi said online hate has become all too normalized, but it's up to big corporations like Major League Baseball and the Blue Jays to stand up against Islamophobia.
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it → say → Islamophobia
That’s why the NCCM has reached out and is discussing the incident, as well as next steps, with the organizations, he said.
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he → ’ → organizations
The NCCM is urging Santander to apologize, Al Qadi said, and meet with people in Canada's Muslim community to understand why the posts that he shared "are so hurtful, can cause damage and are causing damage and pain to the Muslim community in Canada.
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he → urge → Canada
Blue Jays organization distances itself from posts
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organization → distance → posts
In a statement to CBC Toronto Thursday, a spokesperson for the Blue Jays said the team has created an inclusive space where all fans feel welcome.
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fans → say → space
"Baseball is for everyone," spokesperson Adam Felton said.
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Felton → say → everyone
"Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs."
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comments → represent → values
Canada's former special representative on combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, said in a post on social media that she expects more from the Blue Jays and Santander, whom she said is a role model and a public figure that many young sports fans look up to.
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fans → combat → that
"His reckless actions have impact, and we have seen anti Muslim hate turn deadly in Canada," Elghawaby said in a post to X Thursday.
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Elghawaby → have → X
Canada's former special representative on combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, also took to social media to condemn Santander’s actions.
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representative → combat → actions
She said he is a role model and a public figure that many young sports fans look up to.
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fans → say → that
"Deleting his posts is not enough — Santander owes fans an apology, and the Blue Jays need to take a stronger stand against Islamophobic hate, and be transparent about how they plan to make this right," she added.
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she → delete → hate
In a post to social media platform X Thursday, the Muslim Advisory Council of Canada called on the federal government to address Santander’s actions.
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Council → call → actions
"This issue should not be left solely to Muslim communities to condemn," the non-profit organization wrote.
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organization → leave → communities
"It is a matter of collective responsibility, and everyone, especially those in positions of leadership, must speak out and take a stand."
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everyone → speak → stand
CBC Toronto reached out to Canada's Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden for comment.
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Toronto → reach → comment
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