Georgia’s First Muslim State Senator Takes On Colleague After “Keep Georgia sharia free" Ad
Nabilah Parkes quits as Senator and launches lieutenant governor bid after opponent releases AI‑generated video portraying Muslims as invaders
Georgia state Sen. Nabilah Parkes was sitting in the Senate chamber when her phone lit up with a video that would reshape her political future. The 30‑second campaign ad—released by her Republican colleague, state Sen. Greg Dolezal—depicted Muslims as violent “invaders,” terrorizing white Georgians. It ended with a stark message: “Keep Georgia sharia free.”
The ad, reportedly created using AI, framed Muslim communities as a threat to American cities and cast Dolezal as the candidate who would “fight the enemy before they’re within the gates.” The caption accompanying the video warned that “London has fallen” and claimed that Europe and major U.S. cities were “under siege.”
Parkes, the first Muslim woman to serve in the Georgia Senate, immediately confronted Dolezal on the chamber floor. “What is this?” she asked. He refused to look at her. The next day, he approached her and said, “Feel free to take a shot at me”—a comment she interpreted as an invitation to retaliate politically.
She did.
Within a week, Parkes resigned her Senate seat and announced she would challenge Dolezal directly in the race for lieutenant governor. If elected, she would become the first Muslim to hold statewide executive office in Georgia.
“This type of hate, this type of Islamophobia, this type of racism has no place in Georgia politics,” Parkes said. “No one should have to see their faith weaponized for political gain.”
Her entry into the race has intensified scrutiny of anti‑Muslim rhetoric in Southern politics, especially as AI‑generated imagery becomes a new tool for fear‑based campaigning. Civil rights advocates warn that such ads normalize bigotry and escalate threats against Muslim communities already facing heightened hostility nationwide.
Dolezal, meanwhile, is competing in a crowded Republican primary field. Parkes joins Democrats Josh McLaurin and Richard Wright in the race, setting up a contest that will test whether Georgia voters reject or reward campaigns built on cultural fear.
For Parkes, the decision is personal as much as political. “I’m running because Georgians deserve leadership that doesn’t demonize its own people,” she said. “We can’t allow this kind of rhetoric to define who we are.”