Muslim and As American As Apple Pie

The propaganda tells Americans to fear a faith they have never bothered to understand.

A Muslim is a person who follows Islam, one of the world’s great faith traditions.

Muslims believe in one God.

They believe in prayer, charity, caring for family and neighbors, fasting during Ramadan, and being accountable for how they live.

They honor Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as prophets.

Their faith teaches mercy, service, humility, and justice.

That should not sound foreign to Americans.

Muslims are not one kind of person. They are Black, white, Arab, Asian, Latino, immigrants and descendants of people who have been here for generations. They are doctors, teachers, soldiers, nurses, business owners, parents, students, elected officials, and neighbors. Some women wear hijab. Many do not. Some are deeply observant. Some are not. Just like Christians and Jews, Muslims are not a monolith.

So what is it like to be Muslim in America?

For many, it means being asked to prove you belong in a country you already call home.

It can mean watching every act of terrorism committed anywhere in the world become a question directed at you.

It can mean knowing that a name, a headscarf, or a prayer can cause someone to see danger before they see a human being.

And it can mean hearing people say they want “real Americans” while looking straight past Muslims who sound as American as apple pie.

Zohran Mamdaniis the Muslim mayor of New York City, trying to govern one of the hardest, loudest, most complicated cities in America.

Abdul El-Sayedis a Michigan physician and public-health leader running for the United States Senate because he believes government should make life work better for ordinary people.

They are not asking America to become something foreign. They are doing the very American work of showing up, serving people, and trying to solve problems.

And then there are the people spewing hate about who belongs here—Donald Trump chief among them—asking Americans to fear a Muslim neighbor, candidate, or child before they ever bother to know them.

That is the propaganda. It is not patriotism.

It is not protection.

It is a weapon designed to keep Americans suspicious of one another while the people using that suspicion keep taking power.

Why would someone refuse to vote for a Muslim candidate who shares their concerns, loves this country, understands its laws, and has earned their trust?

Usually, it is not about policy.

It is fear.

It is ignorance.

It is decades of political messaging that taught people to associate an entire faith with violence, foreignness, and threat.

It is the lazy comfort of deciding who belongs before listening to what they believe or what they have done.

America does not belong only to people whose faith is familiar to us.

If we believe in religious freedom, then it has to mean freedom for Muslims too.

If we believe in judging people by character, then we have to actually do it.

A Muslim who loves this country does not need to become less Muslim to be American.

They already are.

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