You know those really long jokes that you keep hearing with no end? The ones you laugh at, then tell a few times yourself, all while secretly hoping that it will soon be over. That it was just a phase, soon to end. But there comes a time where you stop and wonder– why the hell America hasn’t gotten over the joke yet.
Ladies and Gentlemen if you haven’t already figured out the metaphor, the joke is referring to the one and only: Donald Trump. Since Trump announced his intent to run in June of 2015, America has sat in a state of transfixed confusion, watching “the Donald” cross the line repeatedly. It may have started off as a comment on a woman’s time of the month, making it’s way over to Mexico, and his latest victim – Syrian refugees.
Hearing Trump’s racist remarks on a group of hardworking innocent individuals rightly pissed many people off. His solution however was to cover it up with more insanity, this time targeting a whole religion – Muslims.
Now lucky for him, us Muslims are used to the hate and outrageous fallacies. And with that, have managed to live our lives with our heads held high through the backlash that ignited after 9/11, Charlie Hebdo, and the San Bernardino shootings. Because we, unlike Trump, understand the facts and the truth.
Radicals don’t define entire populations. This goes for all racial groups. Our fellow Mexican Americans and African American communities do not deserve the humiliation and degradation that they have been enduring for the past decades if not centuries.
About a month ago, a peaceful Muslim protester was kicked out of a Donald Trump Rally in North Carolina. The irony, however, is that she didn’t say a word, she simply came to represent American Muslims. Yet she was greeted with hatred, and escorted out by security. For being tranquil, humble, and respectful.
When asked by a reporter about her reaction to the way “those people” in the pro Trump Rally reacted, it really changed my perspective of the phrase. If we as a nation want to overcome the bursts of hatred and negativity, then we must start looking at each other as one – one unified nation.
I will not and do not presume that all white Americans are evil because a small number may have prejudices towards me. I understand that the majority of people in this country are kind and compassionate. We as a nation can’t be divided by a voice who claims his intentions are to better America, when the reality is that he is only trying to tear us apart as a nation.
If Trump really knew the history of this great country, he would know that 1/3 of African slaves brought into America were in fact Muslim. These people are the very individuals who helped build the country that we live in. During the peak of the Industrial Revolution, who did Ford Motors hire to work long hours in the difficult conditions of the factories? Muslim/Non Muslim immigrants and African Americans.
Also, if Donald Trump is so inclined to express his hostilities towards refugees, then I suggest he return any Apple Device that he may own. I mean they were developed by Steve Jobs – the son of a Syrian Refugee. Likewise, forget anything that has to do with Physics, the field derived from the works of Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers in history, who also was a German-Jewish refugee. The majority of refugees are people like you and me trying to make a living. Granted, there will always be a small group that causes trouble, but that shouldn’t determine the fate of the rest of the population.
Clearly the facts don’t matter to his campaign or his supporters. How do I know, you ask? In a recent poll, Trump supporters were asked if they would bomb the city of Agrabah; an overwhelming 41 percent answered yes. Only one problem – Agrabah is the city from the Disney movie, Aladdin. That says a lot, doesn’t it?
Trump will never understand how the Palestinians lost their country in 1948, and came to America to start a new life. He will never understand how they came to seek greater economic opportunity, for themselves and their families, fleeing the oppression of the State of Israel.
But wait, does that ring a bell Mr. Trump? It should, because your ancestors like mine, came to America with the same intentions. To create a living, to embrace the American dream. A dream that does not have restrictions based on your race, background, or religion.
I like many others in America refuse to neglect this part of our nation’s history. It’s these very details that contribute to our success as a world power. So when you rally to make America great again, I’ll simply tell you: Sir, America is Great Already. The way it is. It’s my home just as it is your home.
