Edward Durr is the New Jersey truck driver who showed that there is still life in the American system and that sometimes the little guy can strike back at the machine. Durr won a seat in the New Jersey state senate on a pro-America, pro-Trump, low-taxes platform after spending just $153 on his campaign. But the empire is striking back now, and Durr, who is clearly not experienced in the rough-and-tumble of the current war for America’s soul, handed his foes a big victory Friday when he apologized for statements he made on social media as a private citizen over the years—statements that offend our woke self-appointed cultural overlords.
Durr’s apology was carefully worded and qualifying: “I’m a passionate guy and I sometimes say things in the heat of the moment. If I said things in the past that hurt anybody’s feelings, I sincerely apologize.” Still, he had clearly allowed himself to be put on the defensive. He also deactivated his Twitter account and deleted many Facebook posts.
The establishment media ginned up the controversy because, according to The Associated Press, Durr “seemed to equate not opposing COVID-19 vaccination mandates to remaining silent during the Holocaust, including with the post a photo of a yellow star that the National Socialist party forced Jewish people to wear.”
Even worse, Durr refused to accept the Leftist myth of the January 6 “insurrection.” “He also said on Facebook that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was not an insurrection but ‘an unauthorized entry by undocumented federal employers.’” Durr’s posts on Facebook, AP informs us solemnly, “show he closely followed and posted in support of former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims about election fraud.” One wonders if AP has heard of the Arizona election audit. But they quote, as an example of Durr’s egregious and unacceptable positions, a January 7 Facebook post in which he wrote: “I do not agree or support the entering of the Capitol! But I was not surprised after courts refuse to do their job!”
This wasn’t Durr’s only departure from woke orthodoxy. “He also boasted last year of defying New Jersey’s indoor mask requirements while visiting stores, and appeared to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic.”
Worst of all, in a 2019 tweet, Durr wrote, “Mohammed was a pedophile! Islam is a false religion! Only fools follow Muslim teachings! It is a cult of hate!”
In his apology, Durr tried to mitigate this by saying, “I support everybody’s right to worship in any manner they choose and to worship the God of their choice. I support all people and I support everybody’s rights. That’s what I am here to do, work for the people and support their rights.”
That’s great, but lost in the furor over Durr’s supposedly outrageous statements is the question of whether or not they were true. Regarding the non-insurrection and the possibility of election fraud, there is abundant evidence to support Durr’s position; it’s just not evidence that the establishment media considers it acceptable to examine, much less believe.
And there is even support for Durr’s supposedly “Islamophobic” statements. Was Muhammad a pedophile? The case can certainly be made from Islamic texts that state Muhammad consummated his marriage with a nine-year-old girl when he was 54. Because of his status as the “excellent example” (cf. Qur’an 33:21) for Muslims to follow, this has caused child marriage to be acceptable in many areas of the Islamic world, notably Afghanistan, where nearly all girls at third grade age and older are married.
Is Islam a false religion? That’s a judgment call, a question that can only be answered by every individual in his or her own conscience. The criteria people use for judging the truth or falsehood of religions vary widely. But the key question is this: is one now required to believe that Islam is true in order to hold a seat in the New Jersey state senate?
Do only fools follow Muslim teachings? Of course not. Many people who are highly intelligent, resourceful, and clever follow Islamic teachings. Now, if Durr had said, “Only fools follow Christian teachings,” would he have been compelled to apologize? It’s more likely that the establishment media would be celebrating him as an “edgy,” “courageous,” “outspoken” candidate.
Is Islam a cult of hate? Well, the Qur’an tells Muslims that Abraham is an excellent example for them to follow when he tells his father that there will be “enmity and hatred” between them unless and until his father follows Allah (60:4). It also says: “Muhammad is the apostle of Allah. Those who follow him are ruthless to unbelievers, merciful to one another” (48:29). Does that make Islam a cult of hate? Not necessarily, but again, the case can be made. And again, if Durr had said that Christianity was a cult of hate, he would be a media darling right now.
Despite his apology, Durr’s moment in the spotlight may be drawing to a close now, anyway. His New Jersey opponent claims that 12,000 ballots have just been “found,” and so Durr may not be going to the state senate after all. If he does, we can hope he recovers some spine along the way.
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