Something very ugly could happen today and tomorrow.
A loosely connected group of anti-Muslim activists is at about 20 mosques and American Muslim community centers and organizations . In states with open-carry laws, , protesters are being urged to come with guns. Some of the rallies are scheduled for today, Friday, when communal prayers are held. Other protests are planned for Saturday, when many mosques hold classes for children.
Imagine taking your child to a Saturday morning religion class past gun-wielding demonstrators hurling abuse against your religion.
Of course, anti-Muslim protestors have a constitutional right to assemble and express bigoted and even hateful views. At the same time, it is a core American value to protect the right of worship for American Muslims and all religious groups 鈥� and to speak out against prejudice and intimidation. We at the 老澳门开奖结果 have been working with targeted American Muslim communities and like-minded allies to support our Muslim neighbors, who are deeply concerned about the rise in anti-Muslim hatred, their security, and the protests鈥� potential for violence.
A call for nation-wide anti-Muslim protests on this scale is new, but it is sadly unsurprising because it reflects a national environment in which prejudice against American Muslims is running rampant 鈥� with devastatingly tragic security consequences for individuals and our country鈥檚 future. It鈥檚 an environment fueled by pundits like Bill Maher, who falsely ascribes violent intent to 鈥溾�� of Muslims, and an entire industry of foundations and donors that has spent to promote anti-Muslim bigotry in our country.
Critically, it鈥檚 also an environment fueled by the rhetoric and actions of politicians and law enforcement at the local, state, and federal level.
Just last month, for example, elected officials and law enforcement leaders in Tennessee, where one of the largest anti-Muslim protests is expected tomorrow, alarmingly xenophobic and anti-Muslim comments. As the 老澳门开奖结果 of Tennessee and statewide religious, community, and immigrant rights groups :
Not only do these statements send the wrong message to their respective communities, they stoke the flames of hate that could incite attacks against peaceful Americans.
At the national level, there is an alarming willingness of public officials to attack American Muslim communities for political gain, sending messages that divide Americans instead of uniting them. We need more public officials willing to say what former Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2008, 鈥淚s there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is 鈥楴o.鈥� That鈥檚 not America.鈥�
All of this is exacerbated by policies and practices that stigmatize American Muslims as suspect 鈥� like the so-called federal 鈥渃ountering violent extremism鈥� program. Worse still, security measures, such as federal watchlists and surveillance and sting operations, disproportionately and discriminatorily .
This environment feeds not just bigoted rallies, but hate crimes, which are on the rise. Three weeks ago, a man Muslim worshippers in Ohio. When the police arrested him, they found a hatchet under his passenger seat. In Chicago, another man called a Sikh father of two 鈥淥sama bin Laden鈥� and . Across the country, Muslim houses of worship are targeted for arson and vandalism. These are just a few examples of a wave of ugliness.
America must be better than this. Ours is a nation founded on shared values of pluralism, freedom of religion or no religion, and equality. And reflecting those values, many Americans are responding to the anti-Muslim hate rallies by denouncing bigotry, speaking up for tolerance and equality, and engaging in actions of .
Please, join in.
