County commissioner won’t apologize for comments on Islam

A Mifflin County commissioner is standing her ground.

Commissioner Lisa Nancollas posted an anti-Islamic meme, a photo with a message on it that is meant to be shared on social media, and on her Facebook campaign page on Saturday. She responded to ridicule by defending herself and posting several links to stories about Islam.

The commissioner is now defending herself via a released statement, though she did not address the meme she posted. The meme was of a mosque with a red “no” symbol over top of it. The words “No Islam Allowed” were also on it.

“I will never apologize for protecting our freedoms,” Nancollas said. “...When I was elected as a Mifflin County Commissioner, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and that includes our First Amendment rights of freedom of religion and free speech. As a Christian woman, my faith is very important to me and it helps guide me both personally and professionally.”

Nancollas said the issue isn’t her, but that “radical Islamic terrorists pose the greatest threat to our national security.”

She also said that Americans have a right “to stand up to protect our country from those seeking us harm.”

A petition, in an attempt to get Nancollas to resign, was also launched.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 11:56 PM with the headline "County commissioner won’t apologize for comments on Islam."