Islamophobia Takes Over the NYT and WSJ

The headlines this weekend have left deeply saddened about the division brewing in our country...͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ­ Islamophobia Takes over the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Dear {NAME},  I was not born in the US, but I am very much grateful that I was raised here. That doesn't mean it has been all rainbows and butterflies. I was in high school when 9/11 happened, I attended an Islamic school where my mother taught at the time, and that my children attend today.  When 9/11 happened, school was cancelled for one week. Why you may ask? Mobs had gathered with weapons and had begun to march onto the school, which taught children as young as three years old, the mosque nearby, and they were out for blood.  I don't think I truly understood what was happening at the time. My biggest priority was getting my drivers licence or some teenager probelm that seems so trivial now.  I remember – at the time – my parents would not let me leave the house for about 6 months. Needless to say those were a long 6 months for me. I didn't get it then. I also thought that it was funny that whenever I would make a call from our home land line to my friend's homes there was a static or echo on the line.  We later found out that the FBI was illegally monitoring Muslim households across the country, as revelations about the NSA’s activities emerged. This is the lens that shaped my understanding  When it comes to diversity, my upbringing is about as diverse as it comes – born in Syria, raised in Brooklyn, moved to Chicago and attended a private Islamic School, and went on to attend a Catholic University. I work in politics. My friends are Jewish, black, white, brown, you name it. So when I wake up on the weekend and I see headlines like these: Well, let’s just say I am above all else hurt in a deep way, and I am angry.  The New York Times lays bare the sentiment which informs many Americans’ ability to justify the mass killing of Gazans with U.S. aid. The idea that Muslims are somehow less civilised is clear from Friedman’s disgusting animal metaphors.  “Sometimes I contemplate the Middle East by watching CNN. Other times, I prefer Animal Planet,” Friedman writes. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal equivocates Chicago’s call for ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid – a solution all parties are looking towards – to them supporting Hamas. My parents are immigrants and they had the mindset that the majority of immigrants have, regardless of where they come from, and that is to keep your head down and succeed at school, do good work and earn for your family and be a positive contributing member of society.  To no surprise, study after study shows that is exactly what immigrants do here in this great country. I obviously took a different path, I did not go to med school like my brother and, believe me, my mom was not happy with that. I took a different path because, as I got older, I began to see the injustice which threatened to divide the country I loved, and I realised my voice could be a power for good. [Rush My Support →]( I don't often write personal stories, but today is the exception because I believe that type of journalist debauchery that those publications demonstrated over the weekend need to be confronted head on. I have cancelled my subscription to the NY Times and urge you to do the same. Hate is hate regardless of who it is against.  The hate that is spewing in this country is very real right now, and it is dangerous. We need our leaders to rise up and heal the division in our nation. Muslims are Americans and we are proud Americans. Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and any other form of bigotry need to be confronted and condemned wherever we see it. That is what we will continue to do here at No Dem Left Behind and what we hope you will continue to support us on our mission to do just that.  [Help us stand up against those who threaten to tear us down and divide us. With your contribution, we will work to ensure that Democrats have a diverse voice that isn’t afraid to oppose injustice where they see it, and express solidarity with those that society seeks to silence.Â]( If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Chip in $24]( [Chip in $50]( [Chip in $75]( [Chip in $124]( [RUSH $250 !]( [Other Amount]( Thank you for your commitment to a truly United America.  With unwavering determination, Hassan Martini Executive Director, No Dem Left Behind PAC ­ No Dem Left Behind PAC 80M St. SE Suite 100 Washington D.C. 20003 ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Paid for by No Dem Left Behind PAC. 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