Scott Cooper Williams

Press-Gazette Media

Green Bay Alderman Chris Wery is refusing calls for his resignation following an exchange with a Muslim woman in which he asked whether she condemns Islamic terrorism.

Many people have called for Wery to step down from the City Council via their comments on Press-Gazette Media's Facebook page. Some are calling the elected official's interaction with a Muslim woman who had inquired about city bus service "shameful" and "horrible."

In a statement provided through Facebook on Wednesday, Wery, who represents District 8 on the city's west side, said that his line of questioning to Heba Mohammad was "legitimate" and that he would not step down from the City Council.

He noted that he voted in 2010 in favor of allowing an Islamic mosque to take over a former sporting goods store on Velp Avenue.

"I believe in both freedom of religion and freedom of speech," he said in his prepared statement. "Being elected does not mean I lose my freedom of speech."

City Council President Tom DeWane said Wednesday he thinks Wery's line of questioning was "unfortunate," but he would not push for Wery to resign or to be disciplined by the council.

DeWane said he talked with Wery about the situation on Tuesday night, and he believes Wery plans to meet with Muslim Student Association representatives at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in an effort to make amends.

"He's got to get out there and make this right," DeWane said. "I think he's got to learn from it, obviously."

Wery apologized Tuesday to Mohammad after she inquired about bus service on Election Day, and he questioned her involvement in the Muslim Student Association while a student at UWGB.

In an email exchange, Wery agreed to look into the bus service question, but he then asked Mohammad about the Muslim Student Association, which she founded.

"I just want to be assured that your group in no way promotes or defends militant Islamic ideology," he wrote, asking whether Mohammad and the association condemn "terrorist groups such as Hamas."

Mohammad, 22, who graduated from UWGB earlier this year, called the alderman's questioning offensive and posted the exchange on Facebook, igniting a firestorm of reaction and debate.

Wery later said he should have raised his questions about the Muslim student group separately from handling Mohammad's inquiry about why bus service is not free on Election Day.

Some on Facebook are defending Wery, saying he did nothing wrong in raising questions about the student group.

But others say he should resign his aldermanic seat. Some critics are circulating a meme that reads: "Step Down, Chris Wery. Green Bay doesn't want your ignorance or bigotry."

— swilliams@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @pgscottwilliams .