Our hearts go out to the communities in New Zealand—and to Muslims around the world, including in the U.S., who are no doubt waking to today's news with more fear and heartbreak. Together, we can take action. Dear MoveOn member,
Just hours ago, a white-supremacist, anti-Muslim killer opened fire at two mosques in New Zealand, killing nearly 50 Muslims, destroying families and communities, and sending waves of terror across that country and around the world.
The police commissioner, fearing for the lives of Muslims in New Zealand, even asked Muslims not to attend communal prayer on Friday—the Muslim holy day.
This massacre is gut-wrenching—but sadly, it fits into patterns we know too well. There is a global wave of violence and discrimination against Muslims—from the Muslim detention centers in China to the Rohingya genocide in Burma to the Muslim Ban in our own country that has rejected over 37,000 visas from majority-Muslim countries in 2018 alone.1
While we wait to hear how we can best help communities in New Zealand, we can act to turn the tide on our most-prominent anti-Muslim policies at home.
You can help make a difference. Call your members of Congress now to demand they block Trump's Muslim Ban and the 'War on Terror" which has been used to justify wars in majority-Muslim countries.
Here is where to call:
- Representative Gregory W. Meeks: (844) 707-9026
- Senators: (844) 551-7606
Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism did not start with Donald Trump. It is all around us. There are politicians in both the Republican and Democratic parties who somehow are unable to see Muslims outside the framework of "terrorism." Our media outlets actively prop up Islamophobes and anti-Muslim rhetoric. A study was done that showed The New York Times talks more negatively about Islam than about cancer and cocaine.2 And then there's our judicial system, that has time and again protected torture techniques used by our government on Muslims and upheld Trump's Muslim Ban.
From Guantanamo to the so-called "War on Terror," where the United States is literally bombing majority-Muslim countries in Africa and the Middle East to surveillance policies and entrapment tactics by the FBI impacting communities domestically, anti-Muslim racism is used as part and parcel of the way our government and society currently operate. Some of the most atrocious programs targeting Muslims in the U.S. were carried out under President Obama.3
If we truly want to end the horrors of what we saw in New Zealand today, we must not be complicit, and that starts with acting in the U.S. to end our blatantly anti-Muslim programs.
Make a call to all of your members of Congress right now to take action, not just send thoughts and prayers, by blocking the Muslim Ban from further implementation and committing to end the so-called "War on Terror."
Here's where to call:
- Representative Gregory W. Meeks: (844) 707-9026
- Senators: (844) 551-7606
Here's what you can say: "The atrocious attacks in New Zealand against Muslims demand action. Condemn the attacks but also work to block the Muslim Ban from being implemented any further and commit to ending the so-called "War on Terror," which has been used to target majority-Muslim countries with warfare."
Eddie, we're going into yet another election year. And Donald Trump has weaponized anti-Muslim racism publicly as an elected official, unapologetically attacking Islam, empowering Islamophobes throughout his administration, and boosting anti-Muslim websites. There's no doubt that anti-Muslim racism and fearmongering will be part and parcel of Donald Trump's campaign. Unfortunately, too many Democrats have yet to prove to Muslim communities that they stand with Muslim communities—and that they know how to effectively speak out against Trump's white supremacy, xenophobia, and clear anti-Muslim rhetoric.
The New Zealand shooter professed his admiration for Trump—one more reminder of the truly terrifying global web of white supremacy and anti-Muslim hate, when a killer around the globe and the man in the White House are pulling information from the same hateful sources, such as Breitbart News.
And since Trump's election, here in the U.S., anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions have been emboldened—along with attacks on communities of color, Jewish communities, and Middle Easterners and South Asians mistaken for Muslims.
Just look at the violent threats faced by Representative Ilhan Omar, an outspoken, progressive member of Congress, who is one of the first two Muslim women to serve in the House, and the first to wear a hijab. She has faced death threats, been added to the hit lists of white supremacists planning violent massacres, and has reported that her community mosque has received threats. Fox News commentators have cast suspicion on her wearing of a hijab, and Republican lawmakers have questioned whether she can serve on congressional committees and receive intelligence briefings. And instead of standing with her, Democratic leadership has been quick to throw her under the bus.
These anti-Muslim policies, rhetoric, and attacks won't end unless all of us join together to stand with Muslims and demand change. Call your members of Congress today to say we need more than thoughts and prayers: You must block Trump's Muslim Ban from being implemented and end the "War on Terror" to stop military action in majority-Muslim countries.
Here's where to call:
- Representative Gregory W. Meeks: (844) 707-9026
- Senators: (844) 551-7606
Violence like the massacre in New Zealand doesn't come out of nowhere. Islamophobia has long, deep roots—stretching back centuries. But since 9/11, official policies in the U.S. and elsewhere have increasingly been willing to vilify the entire Muslim community with broad strokes.
Our hearts go out to the communities in New Zealand—and to Muslims around the world, including in the U.S., who are no doubt waking to today's news with more fear and heartbreak. We all know thoughts and prayers are not enough.
Thanks for all you do.
–Iram, Liia, Mark, Justin, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "U.S. denied tens of thousands more visas in 2018 due to travel ban: data," Reuters, February 26, 2019
2. "The New York Times Presents Islam More Negatively than Cancer and Cocaine, Says New Study," Telesur, March 5, 2016
3. "Countering Violent Extremism (CVE)," Muslim Advocates, March 9, 2015