by Jacob Bender, CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director
Yesterday, at a Donald Trump campaign event in Rochester, New Hampshire, a man wearing a “Trump for President” t-shirt made the following statements when called upon by the billionaire candidate:
- “We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims.”
- “You know our current president is one. You know he’s not even an American.”
- “Anyway, they have training camps growing where they want to kill us.”
- “When can we get rid of them?”
Rather than take the opportunity to correct the questioner about Obama’s religion and birthplace, or scold him for his racist, near-genocidal question, Trump proceeded to shockingly state that, “We’re going to be looking at a lot of different things. You know, a lot of people are saying that and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening. We’re going to be looking at that and many other things.”
This is a glaring example of the spread of Islamophobia, specifically, and xenophobia, in general. While CAIR does not endorse political candidates, we exist to defend the Muslim community and Islam against denigration and attacks, as well as to denounce all forms of bigotry and hatred wherever they may arise.
Trump’s remarks are a clarion call for the Muslim community to become involved in civic engagement and the political process; to make its voice known throughout the land by proclaiming: “America is our home, and Islam is our faith. We will not be silent nor disappear, neither today nor tomorrow.”
One venue for the Muslim community to make its presence known in the halls of government is CAIR-Pennsylvania’s first annual “Muslim Capitol Day” in Harrisburg on Tuesday, October 20, 2015. On this day, we will bring dozens of Muslim community leaders and members from around the Commonwealth, and their allies, to the State Capitol Building to meet with their elected representatives and state officials.
For more information about “Muslim Capitol Day,” and to sign up to participate, please contact me, Jacob Bender, CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director, at 267-510-6710, jbender@cair.com.
