BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – On Monday, Alabama Rep. Alan Harper posted on his Facebook page a plea for friends to only “shop and purchase gas and other items at American-owned stores” over the holidays, AL.com reports. He advised readers to avoid stores not owned by “God-fearing Christians” because to do otherwise would be detrimental to America.

“In large part, these stores are owned by folk that send their profits back to their homeland and then in turn use these funds against our country to create turmoil, fear, and in some cases, death and destruction,” he wrote in the post. How to identify a Christian store owner? Harper suggested: “Look behind the cash register. The C stores/tobacco outlets, etc. with the lights around the windows and doors are not owned by God-fearing Christians.”

Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives, had a chance to respond to the post in a CBS MoneyWatch story on the subject. “It’s absolutely misguided at best,” he said. “I’m not aware of anybody who can look at somebody else and determine what their background is. I’d be even more concerned if that were to become a practice, whether you are talking about Christianity or Hindu or Muslim or Jewish or any other religion.”

Lenard pointed out that convenience stores “serve the local community more than any other business,” regardless of the owners’ background. Of course, consumers may choose to shop at stores that support what they believe, but Harper’s post is “based on a series of fallacies that are not grounded in anything,” he said. Lenard further commented that Harper’s “references [to] Christmas at the end of the note…hardly seems to be a message that supports the spirit of the holiday.”