A Letter to Chris Christie from a Muslim-American

Dear Chris Christie,

You don’t know me from Adam and I only know you as the governor of New Jersey, which is neither my home state nor is it the state I currently reside in. I’m a native New Yorker though, so I’ve seen you on my television set often. I do feel like I know you. I’m not a fan of your anti-union policies nor am I a fan of your bullying style. (Shutting down a bridge because a mayor wouldn’t support you in an election? Really?) What I am a fan of is the way you stood up to anti-Muslim bigots in your own party. I remember you nominating another man who’s policies I do not align with, Conservative judge Sohail Mohammed, for a seat on the New Jersey Superior Court of Passaic County back in 2011. Mohammed and I do have one thing in common: we’re both Brown men with Muslim backgrounds. According to The Huffington Post, Mohammed immigrated from India and later “rose to prominence as a leader in the Muslim community. He helped the FBI understand Muslim culture, and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he spoke out against the government’s targeting of Muslim and Middle Eastern individuals.”

Despite being on the same side politically, Mohammed was attacked by White Conservatives who claimed that he had ties to terrorism simply because he was Muslim. You, Governor Christie, put a stop to that irrational hatred:

“They are criticizing him because he is a Muslim American … Sharia law has nothing to do with this at all — it’s crazy! It’s crazy. The guy’s an American citizen… This Sharia law business is crap. It’s just crazy, and I’m tired of dealing with the crazies… It’s just unnecessary to be accusing this guy of things just because of his religious background.”

Those Republicans stood down and your state’s legislature ended up confirming Mohammed to the bench. All… because… of… You.

In all honestly, I didn’t know I’d actually be heartbroken over your endorsement of Donald J. Trump for President of the United States 24 hours after the fact. It’s both shocking and disappointing. If I’d had the chance to vote in an election that you were running in, I probably would’ve picked your opponent. But at least I knew you weren’t a bigot. Unfortunately, that’s not the case any more. You siding with Trump — a man who has proposed that Muslims should either be in internment camps, on government registries, and/or kicked out of the country completely — has made all Muslim-Americans — me, Judge Mohammed, our friends and families — a lot less safe in this country. We all now have targets on our backs. For that, I can never forgive you.

Sincerely,

Mo Fathelbab