Blue Jays player faces backlash after reposting Islamophobic content on social media following U.S. midterms
Community organizations and advocates are speaking out after Anthony Santander of the Toronto Blue Jays posted anti-Muslim content on social media following the U.S. midterm elections.
‘Baseball is for everyone,’ Toronto Blue Jays spokesperson told CBC Toronto Thursday
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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.
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."
The reels, originally created by the American Truth Project account and a Gospel of Jesus Christ minister, caused outrage on social media. While Santander's decision to repost them sparked backlash from Canada's Muslim 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).
"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. "It's incredibly disappointing to see this kind of rhetoric being displayed by someone like Anthony 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. 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.
CBC Toronto has reached out to Santander and his agency for 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. That’s why the NCCM has reached out and is discussing the incident, as well as next steps, with the organizations, he said.
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."
Blue Jays organization distances itself from 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.
"Baseball is for everyone," spokesperson Adam Felton said. "Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs."
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.
"His reckless actions have impact, and we have seen anti Muslim hate turn deadly in Canada," Elghawaby said in a post to X Thursday.
Canada's former special representative on combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, also took to social media to condemn Santander’s actions. She said he is a role model and a public figure that many young sports fans look up to. (Amanda Margison/CBC)
"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.
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.
"This issue should not be left solely to Muslim communities to condemn," the non-profit organization wrote. "It is a matter of collective responsibility, and everyone, especially those in positions of leadership, must speak out and take a stand."
CBC Toronto reached out to Canada's Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden for comment.
LISTEN | Islamophobia in the U.S. midterms:
Front Burner25:01Republicans, Islamophobia and the midterms
As the U.S. voters head to the midterm polls, Republican candidates and leaders are targeting Muslim and Arab Americans casting them as suspect, questioning their loyalties, and their place in American life. Much of this has centred on Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and Minnesota Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, but they are not alone. Today, we take a closer look at Islamophobia on the Republican campaign trail and ask how anti-Muslim fear, skepticism and hate can be cultivated and used for political ends. Moustafa Bayoumi is a professor of English at Brooklyn College and the author of 'How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America.' He's our guest today. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcriptsABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gabriela Silva Ponte has been with CBC Toronto since January 2025. Currently, she works as a web writer, but has previously taken on a variety of reporting roles in ethnic media newsrooms and at Toronto Metropolitan University. Gabriela graduated from TMU with a Bachelor of Journalism. You can reach her at gabriela.silva.ponte@cbc.ca.
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