Washington 5th District Representative Jay Rodne of Snoqualmie said his comments on social media following the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris were “taken out of context” but he did not retreat from his position that the U.S. should not allow entry to Syrian refugees.

“I know the majority of Muslims are peaceful and that these refugees seeking asylum want nothing more than to enjoy the security and freedoms our nation offers,” the Republican wrote in an e-mail to the Record Nov. 20. “But first and foremost, we have to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of our country!”

Rodne’s Facebook page on Nov. 13 included the following comment, posted to an article on the Paris attacks that was published on pamelageller.com: “Obama wants to import 1.5 million muslims into the U.S. This is absolute madness! Islam is incompatible with western civilization! How anyone (sic) people need to die? In the interim, Amicans (sic), arm yourselves!!!!!” The comment has since been removed from the page.

Since the comment appeared, Rodne has drawn criticism from a variety of sources, including the Washington State Democrats, a group that on Nov. 19 called for Rodne’s removal as the ranking minority member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Rodne said his comments were strictly about Islamic terrorists.

“My comments were in relation to ISIS and other terrorist groups who prescribe to a radical interpretation of Islam,” he wrote. “Serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for more than 26 years now, I’ve seen the atrocities committed by these groups against innocent civilians.”

Rodne, an attorney and Marine Corps Reserve member for the past 20 years, was first appointed to the House of Representatives, District 5, Position 1, in January, 2004. He has served 11 years, re-elected to his sixth term in 2014. He will be up for re-election next November.