Republican candidate sparks outrage after burning the Quran and vowing to "eradicate Islam"

In a provocative move that sparked widespread anger, Republican candidate Valentina Gomez, competing for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas, burned a copy of the Holy Quran during a video she posted on the "X" platform, accompanied by offensive and anti-Islamic comments.

Gomez stated in the video: "I will eradicate Islam in Texas and may God help me," adding hostile claims against Muslims, before urging her supporters to back her campaign for Congress, claiming that "the only god is the God of Israel."

The American candidate of Colombian descent previously lost the 2024 Missouri Secretary of State primary election, receiving 7.5% of the votes, but she continued her political campaign and has raised nearly $7 million to support her congressional run.

Gomez is known for her extreme positions against immigrants and Muslims, having previously posted recordings threatening what she called a "war on Islam," prompting American human rights and Islamic organizations to condemn her statements and actions as incitement to hatred and violence.