In fact, my family and I came to the United States because Ahmadi Muslims face intense persecution in Pakistan— where I was born.
Source/Credit: Austin America-Statesman
By Huma Munir | December 11, 2015
This week, I walked into my freshmen class at the high school where I teach, and found my students immersed in a profound conversation that ended with, “Donald Trump does not represent American values and terrorism has no religion.” My 14-year-olds have shown more maturity and open-mindedness than some of the most powerful “adults” in the Republican Party.
And while some of my students might never be billionaires, I believe they each have a conscience that is worth more than Trump’s entire net worth. The thoughts and beliefs of my students have given me a renewed hope after the terrible incidents in Paris and San Bernardino. As a Muslim, I am saddened and deeply troubled by acts of barbarity committed in the name of my religion, but I am equally perturbed by the increasing incidents of Islamophobia and the hateful fervor being spread by people like Trump and Dr. Ben Carson.
At a time when we need to stay united against the threat of extremism, individuals like Trump and Carson are wedging a huge divide between the Muslim community and the rest of the United States. As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I firmly believe in our motto of “Love for all, hatred for none.” As a Muslim who believes that loving my new country is part of my faith, I am this country’s biggest ally in this fight against extremism.
In fact, my family and I came to the United States because Ahmadi Muslims face intense persecution in Pakistan— where I was born. My family came to this country looking for opportunities to grow intellectually and financially. But most of all, they came because of the beautiful ideals of the American Constitution — a document that guarantees freedom of expression and religion. My family and I are among millions of other refugees who come to the United States in search of a better life. And after living here for 14 years, I consider the United States my only home.
But now people like Trump want to ban Muslims from coming to this country without taking into account that some of us prove to be just as loyal to this nation as anyone else. American Muslims have served the United States in various capacities from joining the U.S. Marines to becoming doctors and lawyers. As a member of “Teach for America”, I served as a teacher in a low-income community schools for two years. Members of the Ahmadi Muslim community have organized annual 9/11 anniversary blood drives across the country for many years. We have held interfaith dialogues in our mosques where people of different faiths gather to have an intellectual discourse about Islam and other religions. Many of us are actively writing in newspapers to show our condemnation for ISIS and our loyalty to the United States.
We don’t need a special badge to show our loyalty to this country which we consider ours. We wear that badge every day as teachers who try to make a difference in the lives of our students, or as Marines who are ready to give up their lives for the protection of this great nation.
Trump’s recent comments about barring Muslims from coming to the United States are hurtful not only because of the embedded racism, but also because it truly misguides some people who support him as a politician. But while the number of his supporters is small, I take comfort in the fact that his latest barrage of hate has brought condemnation not just from within the United States, but also abroad. People all over the world are troubled by Trump’s rhetoric and are wondering how he has made it this far in the campaign. It’s time for Trump step aside.
Instead, we should let one of my freshmen students run for president. I would vote for these kids in a heartbeat.
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Huma Munir is a member of Teach for Amerca and a teacher in the Austin school district.
Read original post here: Perspective: Luckily, not all are misguided by Trump’s hateful comments | Huma Munir
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