North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is speaking out against the leader of the state Democratic Party’s Muslim Caucus, Elyas Mohammed, who recently described Zionists as “modern day Nazis” and as a “threat to humanity,” among other incendiary social media posts drawing criticism from the local Jewish community.

“Antisemitic comments and conspiracy theories have no place anywhere, including in the North Carolina Democratic Party,” the governor said in a statement shared exclusively with Jewish Insider. “We must fight against antisemitism and all other forms of hate whenever and wherever we see them. We live in difficult times in our nation. Now is the time to come together and deliver results that improve the lives of all North Carolinians.”

Stein, a Jewish Democrat, had faced mounting pressure from Jewish leaders across the state to condemn the posts, which were first reported by The Algemeiner last week. Mohammed, who has frequently railed against Israel and Zionists on his Facebook page, has also shared a post arguing that Israeli civilians captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks were not hostages but “prisoners of war” because the invasion occurred in an “occupied zone.”

On Sunday, the leaders of several prominent Jewish groups in North Carolina distributed a joint letter to Stein and other Democratic officials and lawmakers that raised concerns over Mohammed’s “dangerous antisemitic rhetoric” and exhorted them to publicly condemn his recent statements.

“This is not a partisan appeal,” the Jewish leaders, including CEOs from three local federations in the state, said in the letter. “It is a civic and moral one. Jewish communities across our state must know, without ambiguity, that elected officials and party leaders reject rhetoric that vilifies them through historical distortion and collective accusation.”

In a statement to JI on Tuesday, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat running for Senate, also condemned Mohammed’s comments.  

“These reprehensible posts were an unacceptable expression of antisemitism and I condemn them in the strongest of terms,” Cooper said. “Antisemitism continues to rise across the country and it’s on all of us to root it out in all of its forms. I’ve fought against antisemitism and hate throughout my career and would continue working to keep all North Carolinians safe as U.S. Senator.” 

Mohammed did not respond to a request for comment. 

North Carolina’s Democratic Party has been a prominent site of internal divisions over Israel that have played out in heated platform fights. Last year, for instance, the party’s executive committee stirred controversy after passing a series of resolutions that called for an arms embargo on Israel as well as “the immediate release of Palestinian hostages taken by Israel,” among other things.

Republicans have seized on such measures in the key battleground state, where Cooper is now seeking to replace outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) in a competitive race that could help tip the balance of power in the upper chamber.