A Kokomo councilman resigned over Islamophobic posts. His successor has his own.

Just weeks after a Kokomo common council member resigned from his position over Islamophobic social media posts, his replacement is under fire for similar posts.

Roger Stewart was chosen for the council last week after his predecessor, Greg Jones, resigned only weeks after being sworn in in January, the Kokomo Tribune reported.

Jones, a Republican who was sworn in to represent District 4 on Jan. 1, resigned after posts surfaced in which he made bigoted comments regarding Islam and Muslims, including referring to the religion as "a Theocratic Moon Cult."

Now Stewart is being criticized for posts of his own.

Several posts from Stewart's now-deleted Facebook page were captured and posted to the website of Kokomo Perspective, a weekly newspaper, on Monday.

One meme, shared publicly by Stewart on Feb. 5, 2019, said: “I refuse to bend, twist or change to make Muslims feel comfortable in MY COUNTRY. They either adhere to our laws or leave! THIS IS MY COUNTRY! Understood???”

A Jan. 14, 2019, post, which he shared but did not author, shows U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swearing in Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), on a Quran.

"Let me say about the QURAN," the post says, "if you take the Oath of Office on a book recognizing Sharia Law swearing to defend honor and uphold the United States Constitution, then you have committed treason, for Sharia Law is a direct violation and conflict of United States Constitutional Law."

Sharia is not civic law, but rather a set of religious guidelines that govern an individual’s life and faith, including marriages, funerals, dietary laws and even banking practices. Like other religious traditions, Sharia can be interpreted strictly or leniently, depending on the community.

On Tuesday, a national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group called for Stewart's resignation.

“Just as we called for the resignation of the previous Islamophobic official, we urge Mr. Stewart to resign from his post and for a person who understands constitutionally-guaranteed religious freedoms to be appointed in his place,” said Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

In an interview with the Perspective, Stewart said he never intended to offend anyone and that all he can do in this situation is apologize.

"They’ll have to take me at my word," he said. "I’m a Christian man, and I believe everybody should be treated equal and treated the way they want to be treated."

The Perspective reports that less than an hour after they reached him for comment, Stewart's Facebook page was deleted.

Stewart did not respond to IndyStar's request for comment. IndyStar has also reached out to the Howard County Republican Party for comment.

Stewart was elected by the Howard County GOP in a special caucus after Jones' resignation. According to the Kokomo Tribune, Jones stepped down after posts he made in 2015 resurfaced, in which he used a derogatory term for Muslims and insulted the LGBTQ community.

In a resignation letter dated Jan. 17, Jones apologized for the posts, calling them "inappropriate."

"I hope that the people will see to forgive me for my sins of the past," he wrote. "I realize I have room for personal growth. I am a work in progress and will continue to right my wrongs."

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at 317-444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.