November 9, 2016
Issue: Fighting Bigotry
Last Night: Reflections on the Election Results
Message from Farhana Khera, president of Muslim Advocates
Last night was extraordinarily painful and difficult.
It was difficult because some of the ugliest forms of hate and bigotry emerged from the shadows during this election cycle. Unprecedented levels of misogyny, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and racism in modern U.S. history were promoted and stoked. Hate crimes against American Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim skyrocketed. Most disturbingly, the policies proposed by candidates in this election cycle – from banning Muslims, to building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, to locking up the press and political opponents – threaten the very core of our nation’s democracy.
Many of us, including myself, are hurting this morning. That’s understandable. The country we all love feels like it’s desperately moving in the wrong direction.
But, at Muslim Advocates, we are not ready to call it quits. Because for every ugly act we saw in the last year, there were at least two that gave us hope about the fundamental decency of countless Americans.
We’re also not kidding ourselves. We know that our work in the next few years will be challenging and will require us to think our strategies anew.
But we also know this: we must continue to fight for the soul of our nation. That begins with Americans of all faiths and backgrounds coming together and re-doubling our efforts to reject hate and bigotry in all its forms.
I want to personally tell you that Muslim Advocates will be using every resource and legal tool available to ensure that the rights of all Americans are protected. Now, more than ever, we must ensure our judiciary plays its role as a vital check on the executive and legislative branches.
Today, I’ll be reaching out to our allies to hear from them and to plan our next important steps. While this is a difficult and painful time, know that we at Muslim Advocates stand shoulder to shoulder with people of good will. We will never waver in our defense of the values that have truly made America great.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. let us know that the arc of the moral universe is long. With your support, we will continue to bend it toward justice. With you at our sides, we remain steadfast in our belief that we will prevail. Because we must.
Regards,
Farhana Khera, President and Executive Director, Muslim Advocates
P.S. If you have a thought or an idea about our next steps, please do not hesitate to drop me a note. It will take all of us working together.