Hello Muslims of the world

Hello Muslims of the world,

I just read a headline that made me sad. You probably read it as well. Donald Trump said he doesn’t want to let Muslims into the United States.

I’ve read other headlines that make me sad recently, and you probably read those as well. People who identified as Muslims have killed innocent people.

To you, Muslims of the world:

I live in America. I ask that, just as I fight to remember that the actions of the worst Muslims do not define the whole- do not let the actions of the worst Americans define us.

It’s easy to feel angry & fearful. The worst use that. The worst use that to tell you that Donald Trump represents America and that you should hate us- all Americans. The worst will also say that terrorists represent Muslims, and that we shouldn’t want you in our country- any of you.

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

As you likely know, this is mounted on Ellis Island, on the Status of Liberty. Hearing it read almost always brings a tear to my eye. I don’t know why that is- I am not an immigrant myself, nor were my parents. I think it is because it represents the best of America. It represents the best that we can be.

So I ask you, the Muslims of the world:

The worst of us do not represent all of us. They can be the loudest, but they are not who we are. I open my arms to you, Muslims of the world. I‘m not alone. Millions upon millions of Americans do the same.

Donald Trump & his kind are a reminder. They represent the worst in us. I promise you, Muslims of the world, to not judge you on the actions of the worst who call themselves one of yours. I ask you to do the same for me.