Toronto Blue Jays' Santander faces public firestorm over his Islamophobic posts

The fallout continues for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander after he reshared two anti-Muslim videos to his Instagram story following Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections.

One of the clips Santander shared was captioned "America voted for Sharia Last Night," in response to Michigan electing American-Egyptian politician Abdul El-Sayed to the U.S. Senate.

The second featured a Christian podcaster making a series of Islamophobic remarks, claiming that "Islam is not peaceful" and saying there is "no such thing as kind Muslims."

Although Santander removed both videos from his Instagram page before Offside published its original article, his posts were widely shared and criticized across social media. Now, public figures and sports fans across the country are calling on him to take accountability for his actions.

Santander shared two anti-Muslim posts to his page following the outcome of Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections. (@anthonysantander/Instagram)

"Anthony Santander is a role model and public figure looked up to by young sports fans. His reckless actions have an impact, and we have seen anti-Muslim hate turn deadly in Canada," wrote former appointed Canadian government official Amira Elghawaby.

"Deleting his posts is not enough - Santander owes fans an apology, and the Blue Jays need to take a stronger stand against Islamophobic hate and be transparent about how they plan to make this right."

Anthony Santander is a role model and public figure looked up to by young sports fans. His reckless actions have impact, and we have seen anti Muslim hate turn deadly in Canada. Deleting his posts is not enough - Santander owes fans an apology, and the Blue Jays need to take a stronger stand against Islamophobic hate, and be transparent about how they plan to make this right.

— Amira Elghawaby (@AmiraElghawaby) November 5, 2026

CBC Sports journalist and Toronto Metropolitan University instructor Shireen Ahmed echoed Elghawaby's remarks on Santander.

"As one of the few Muslim women sports journalists in North America, this was very disappointing yet predictable. Nothing about racism surprises me anymore," Ahmed wrote on X.

The Muslim Advisory Council of Canada (MACC) and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) also issued statements condemning Santander's actions, urging Canada's Secretary of Sport, Adam van Koeverden, and Prime Minister Mark Carney to respond.

"This issue should not be left solely to Muslim communities to condemn or address. It is a matter of collective responsibility, and everyone, especially those in positions of leadership, must speak out and take a stand," the MACC statement read.

It is deeply disappointing and hurtful to see a player on as popular a team as the Blue Jays promote Islamophobia and conspiracy theories. Muslims, particularly youth, who cheer for the team and its players will now doubt whether they truly belong to the Jays fanbase. There is simply a no room for Islamophobia or hate of any kind in the MLB or within the Jays organization. We call upon the MLB, the MLSE, the Blue Jays, and all leaders to denounce these anti-Muslim posts. We urge leadership to follow the same precedent it has established when other players have taken bigoted stances against other communities. We also call for a full apology from Mr. Santander, as well as a commitment from him to meet with Muslim communities to thoroughly understand why his posts are false, hurtful, and harmful to Muslims in Canada.

— NCCM (@nccm) November 6, 2026

A spokesperson for the Toronto Blue Jays responded to Offside's request for comment on Santander's Islamophobic posts with a statement:

"Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark. Individual comments do not represent our organization's values and beliefs.

Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Blue Jays ahead of the 2025 season but has only played in 54 of 324 games since then. The 32-year-old Venezuelan outfielder underwent shoulder surgery following last season, which has kept him off the field.