Most Americans believe in the principles, values, and ethics of our great nation. Without question, one of these principles is that bigotry and discrimination are wrong.
Yet, far-too-many misinformed and uneducated Americans who cannot see past their own ignorance, think all Arabs and Muslims are enemies and terrorists.
Anti-Muslim bigots seek to whip up hatred against Arabs in the midst of our current economic crisis. They need scapegoats to blame. They want to divert anger away from the banks and corporations, the real culprits, who have robbed millions of their jobs and homes.
These ugly, right-wing campaigns are given coverage by media outlets that have allowed bigotry to seep into mainstream discourse. For example, it was widely reported that Attorney General Eric Holder said he stays “awake at night” because so many young Muslim-American men are becoming so radicalized that they are taking up arms against our country.
What the media failed to mention is: The Investigative Project on Terrorism reported only 21 militant Muslims were convicted on or pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges in 2010. During the same time, over 100,000 Americans died or were injured by firearms, and over a million domestic violence cases were reported. These and other important stories seemingly go unnoticed in the media. Millions of Muslims practice their faith in peace while Islamic extremists get disproportional attention.
It is time for this to stop. Civil Rights are non-negotiable. Equality, liberty, and justice are not just words; they are the foundation and fabric of our society.
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