Blue Jays response to Santander’s Islamophobic reposts ‘not enough’ for some fans

Days after Toronto Blue Jays power hitter Anthony Santander reposted and then deleted Islamophobic comments to his Instagram account, the Muslim community in Canada — including fans of the team — are unhappy with the response from the team and player to date.

Following the results of Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, the 32-year-old Santander reposted a pair of stories to his personal Instagram account. One post, shared from the account @theamericantruthproject, included a video that was critical of Michigan Senator-elect Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. The first video claimed that all Muslims elected to office on Tuesday are radicals, and want to impose Sharia law in the U.S. Congress. A second post, shared from the account @ministernsj, included a video alleging that Muslims are violent and that Islam is "not peaceful."

Santander's reposts elicited criticism and anger from Jays fans.

In a statement provided to CBC Sports and other outlets on Thursday, a Blue Jays spokesperson said: "Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark. Individual comments do not represent our organization's values and beliefs."

Blue Jays player faces backlash after reposting Islamophobic content on social media following U.S. midterms

But for members of the Muslim community in Canada, more action is needed.

Amira Elghawaby is Canada’s former special representative on combating Islamophobia. She said Santander deleting the posts "is not enough." She believes Santander should issue a public apology, the Blue Jays should take a stronger stance on Islamophobia, and be transparent on how they plan to rectify the situation. 

"For fans and the wider public who are Muslim, an apology