Baltimore County school board member apologizes, meets with Muslim leaders over Facebook post

Mosque leaders met Wednesday with Baltimore County school board member Maggie Litz Domanowski, who has come under fire for reposting a social media meme that was criticized as anti-Muslim.

Domanowski publicly apologized before the meeting and was given a tour of the Islamic Society of Baltimore.

During the meeting, Domanowski and Muslim faith leaders discussed what they described as the harm caused by a Facebook post she shared. A student also spoke about being bullied because of her faith.

The post featured Linus, the Peanuts character, holding a sign that said, "If you fear MAGA will take away women's rights, then you should learn about Sharia law."

Domanowski shared the post and commented, "Not wrong."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the post, saying it promotes false claims about Islam. The organization also offered to teach Domanowski about the Islamic faith.

Domanowski accepted the offer, leading to Wednesday's meeting.

CAIR leaders said addressing stereotypes requires a collective effort and accountability, adding that the meeting was a first step toward building understanding in Baltimore County.

"I apologize when someone comes to me and I can tell that I've hurt their feelings and I did something wrong, and I can take that in myself and apologize for that," Domanowski said. "How anybody wants to interpret that, I can't control. We all need to be a little nicer to each other."

Domanowski said she plans to apply what she learned to how she works with students and addresses bullying moving forward.

Domanowski is also up for re-election to the Baltimore County Public Schools Board in November.