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

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Anthony Santander, front, is facing backlash after reposting Islamophobic content on social media following the U.S. midterms. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/The Associated Press)Social SharingDays 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 is absolutely necessary to recognize how hurtful and harmful such dangerous posts are to their sense of dignity," Elghawaby explained. “It also sends a broader message to the society as a whole that to circulate such Islamophobic content is unacceptable and damages our social fabric.

"Islamophobia, like all forms of hate, is a poison and sadly, we still have work to do to ensure it’s seen that way and addressed with the same level of seriousness and urgency."

The Blue Jays play in one of the most multicultural cities in the world. According to a 2024 report from Statistics Canada, up to 57 per cent of Toronto’s population is racialized. The Blue Jays as an organization celebrate this diversity with cultural events and heritage themes throughout the season including Pride Night and Caribbean Carnival night.

Samrah Sher is 39. She, along with her husband and three children are die-hard Jays fans. They have travelled to watch the Jays play in Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego. Sher has also watched the Jays play in Fenway Park (Boston), Yankee Stadium (New York), Wrigley Field (Chicago) and Comerica Park (Detroit), always while wearing a Jays jersey and matching hijab.

She says she was “deeply hurt and disappointed” to learn of Santander’s posts. "Sports are a means of uniting people,” Sher, who plays in a Muslim women’s softball league, said. "While the Blue Jays tout an inclusive environment, a member of their organization sharing this hateful content is a major hit to Muslim fans.

"Santander sharing that content reinforces that dangerous stereotypes [about Islam] contribute to an environment where anti-Muslim hate is tolerated."

Left to right: Isa Hoda, Asiyah Hoda, Sami Syed, Salman Hoda and Samrah Sher. (Submitted by Samrah Sher)

This is not the first time the current Blue Jays’ front office has had to deal with players making offensive remarks about a marginalized group.

In May 2017, the day after yelling an anti-gay slur at Braves pitcher Jason Motte, then Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar was suspended by the team for two games. Pillar apologized publicly, and faced the media. His earnings during his suspension went to advocacy groups.

On May 29, 2023, then Blue Jays reliever Anthony Bass shared a video calling for the boycott of companies supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Bass made a 30-second public apology the next day but did not take media questions. Bass apologized to teammates and was instructed by the club to take sensitivity training with local Toronto pride organizations. But a week later, after being defended by general manager Ross Atkins, Bass defended his actions saying the post was not “evil” and the saga ended with the Blue Jays releasing him ahead of the club’s annual Pride Weekend. 

While Pillar was suspended, and Bass was not, both issued public apologies, something Santander has yet to do at the time of publication. The Jays have also shown a willingness to offer employee/player education programs, and institutional discipline for similar offences.

It’s left some fans hoping more is coming from the player and team. 

Emad Ahmed is a 26-year-old social media influencer in Oakville, Ont. His online accounts have more than 150,000 followers across various platforms. In his videos reviewing halal food restaurants, he often wears a Blue Jays cap turned backward. In a video from July 2026, Ahmed reviewed halal food options at the Rogers Centre. 

Ahmed also plays outfield for the Brotherhood Softball League (BSL).

"BSL is a huge, huge, huge outlet for me,” he said. “As somebody who loves baseball, who loves playing softball, and who likes to amalgamate my identity as a Muslim with my love for baseball."

Ahmed told CBC Sports that he has been a Jays fan since he was six-years old and “through thick and thin.”

"To see somebody like Santander just be Islamophobic does not rub you the right way, especially because you're so invested emotionally in the Blue Jays," he said. 

Ahmed added that the Blue Jays haven’t commented on the incident  from any of their main social media accounts, nor bluejays.com. Other than the initial statement, there has been no further  comment from Atkins or team president Mark Shapiro at time of publication.

Elghawaby sees this as a failure of leadership by the Blue Jays.

"They have not condemned the Islamophobic nature of the posts," she explained. "Nor have they made it clear that they uphold zero tolerance for hate against anyone, including Muslims. This points to a systemic problem that will require real commitments from this organization or risk letting down many of their fans."

Shireen Ahmed is a multi-platform sports journalist, a TEDx speaker, mentor, and an award-winning sports activist who focuses on the intersections of racism and misogyny in sports. She is an industry expert on Muslim women in sports, and her academic research and contributions have been widely published. She is co-creator and co-host of the “Burn It All Down” feminist sports podcast team. In addition to being a seasoned investigative reporter, her commentary is featured by media outlets in Canada, the USA, Europe and Australia. She holds an MA in Media Production from Toronto Metropolitan University where she now teaches Sports Journalism and Sports Media. You can find Shireen tweeting or drinking coffee, or tweeting about drinking coffee. She lives with her four children and her cat.

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