Here's the deal ... Selma went viral last week and started catching tons of flak after commenting on an Instagram post about Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush voting against a measure banning Hamas terrorists from immigrating to the U.S.

In her since-deleted comment, Selma wrote ... "Deport all these terrorist supporting goons. Islam has destroyed Muslim countries and then they come here and destroy minds. They know they are liars. Twisted justifications. May they meet their fate."

Selma took a ton of heat from folks who said she was a raging, Islamophobic bigot.

In an apology shared Tuesday on IG, Selma says ... "I mistakenly and inadvertently conflated Muslims with Radical Islamists and fundamentalists, a terrible err in my words, and resulted in hurting countless people I never meant to, and I deeply regret this."

Selma says she deleted her comment after she realized she was amplifying hate and misinformation ... and says she now understands why she upset the Muslim community.