Spokane Valley councilwoman says she’s a ‘proud Islamophobe’ in Facebook post

Spokane Valley Councilwoman Jessica Yaeger declared she is a “proud Islamophobe” on a post Thursday morning on her personal Facebook page.

 In an interview on Thursday, Yaeger also said that Islam is not a religion, but a style of government that is particularly hard on women.

“Islam has no home here,” Yaeger said.

Contacted on Thursday, Yaeger acknowledged that the Spokane Islamic Center is located in Spokane Valley but declined to discuss it. Attempts to reach leaders of the center were unsuccessful.

Former president of the Spokane NAACP James Wilburn said Yaeger does not seem to understand the ramifications of her post as an elected representative.

“That’s nothing to be proud of. She should be ashamed,” he said. “They’re people just like anybody else.”

Wilburn added: “She should be out of office. How is she going to represent people if she’s neglecting a portion of her district?”

Other Spokane Valley Council members had mixed opinions on Yaeger’s post.

Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley called the post “terrible” and said she was shocked by it. She stressed that it does not reflect the beliefs of her or the city council.

“Council member Yaeger’s personal opinions and social media posts do not represent the views of the city of Spokane Valley,” said Jill Smith, a city spokesperson.

Deputy Mayor Tim Hattenburg said he was not sure why Yaeger would post the comments, but also noted that she is entitled to her own opinion. Hattenburg said he doesn’t think it’s problematic for Yaeger to stand against what she believes is racism and misogyny.

Even though Yaeger posted her beliefs regarding Islam on her private Facebook page, the post gave Councilman Ben Wick pause.

“It’s not something I would have posted,” Wick said. “I’m very guarded about what I post on social media because most people don’t see a line between the personal and professional lives of council members.”

Yeager claimed to be aware of two “honor killings” in Spokane County that have taken place in the past year. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Cpl. Mark Gregory said that the Sheriff’s Office does not have any information to substantiate the “honor killings” claim.

An honor killing is the murder of a person by family members who believe the victim has brought shame on the family. It is a practice that predates Islam, and Sharia law explicitly prohibits honor killings.

Most Muslim Americans believe Sharia Law stands as ethical personal guidelines that should not be held over the Constitution and practice the faith while keeping with American laws, according to the Brookings Institution.

Julie Humphreys, spokesperson for the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office, was not able to confirm Yeager’s allegations of Islamic “honor killings” being carried out in Spokane County. That term is not a legal classification and has no legal definition in the state of Washington or broader United States. The office is responsible for prosecuting murder charges, and while proving motive can be part of that work, that is not a term legal experts would use.

Humphreys said witnesses have used the phrase in past cases, with one example coming to mind: the 2020 murder of Iraqi immigrant Ibtihal Darraji by her ex-husband, Yasir Darraji. He was convicted in 2022 of harassing and murdering Ibtihal and received a 25-year sentence. Humphreys was uncertain why Yaeger claimed her knowledge of supposed Islam-related “honor killings” this year came from the prosecutor’s office.

“We would never call it that,” Humphreys said. Humphreys later added in a written statement that “the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office condemns any type of violence and discrimination.”

Councilman Al Merkel said Yaeger’s gross generalizations in the post are highly inappropriate.

“I’m aghast,” Merkel said. “I clearly don’t support anything like pedophilia or violence against women, but she’s pigeonholing an entire group of people, and that’s not a fair thing to do. As a council member, you should be more cautious about posting inflammatory things like this.”

He said such generalizations are dangerous.

“I don’t like Nazis, I don’t like neo-Nazis or Christians who hate black people, but that doesn’t mean I hate all Christians,” Merkel said.

Reporter Nick Gibson contributed to this article.