In many parts of the United States, if you want to win an election, you need talking points full of misinformation and bigotry towards Muslims to scare the wits out of non-Muslim Americans in to voting for you (and others to fund your campaign). Events in the Middle East simply provide more fuel to an already-raging fire, and convince officials elected to serve all of their constituents that their inappropriate and bigoted comments will not only go unchallenged but will be applauded.  Take, for example, Texas state Representative Molly White’s idea of southern hospitality: as American Muslim Texans descended on Austin for an Annual Capitol Day to celebrate their civic right to free expression, the freshman Republican posted on Facebook:  Most member including myself are back in district. I did leave an Israeli flag on my desk in my office with instructions to staff to ask representative form the Muslim community to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws.  A McCarthy-esque welcome to her Muslim constituents by a right-wing politician is disgusting – but White’s not the only Republican to try to convince the general public that American Muslims are not patriotic, do not integrate into society at large and have no idea how to engage the civic process. She’s just the one most lacking in irony, given that she did so while the Muslim Texans she apparently dislikes were engaging in the civic process.  Texas is home to large pockets of American Muslims, many of whom have lived there for decades. And White earned a rebuke from the speaker of the Texas house, who responded to complaints about her actions by saying that “Legislators have a responsibility to treat all visitors just as we expect to be treated – with dignity and respect.”  Still, White this week joined some more famous Republicans in the “Super Bowl of Bigotry”, all vying for the Vince Lombardi Trophy of the Biggest Islamophobe.  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal already warned of an extremist Muslim “invasion” and double-downed on the ludicrous and unfounded claims made on Fox News of “no-go zones” where Muslim citizens have supposedly banned Christians from entering. It doesn’t stop there. Potential GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says President Obama gives “special rights” to Muslims while “stomping all over Christians”.  American Muslims are not asking for special treatment or “special rights”– unless by “special rights” he means unwarranted surveillance, secondary screenings at airports and pre-trial solitary confinement. If so, then on behalf of American Muslims: please revoke those rights. We’re happy to let them go.  Bigotry against American Muslims from inside the Republican party is not a new phenomenon. Beginning in 2010, Islam became a major wedge issue in partisan politics, fueled by Congress members like Allen West, Louie Gohmert, Joe Walsh, Michelle Bachmann (dubbed the “Islamophobia Caucus”) and supported by former House speaker and one-time presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Politicians across the country have made their careers and gotten campaign donations – and gotten their otherwise unknown mugs on Fox News – by vilifying and spewing hate against Muslims. Although their views once represented a lunatic fringe of their party, Republicans learned to tolerate a certain level of hate from within their ranks rather than marginalizing these politicians’ voices. And now, like cockroaches, they’ve spread out and spawned more.  This vitriolic rhetoric cannot be left unchecked because the sentiments displayed informs policies that directly impact American Muslims (as well as other faith communities). Anti-sharia legislation has been introduced in 32 states, and these unconstitutional laws, which prohibit the free expression of religion, have actually passed in multiple states – including North Carolina, Alabama and Arizona.  Meanwhile, American Muslims continue to build civic and electoral power. From serving on state party committees in California to founding the first-ever Muslim Democratic Club in New York City (dedicated to electing Muslims on all levels of government across the nation, which I co-founded and of which I am currently the president), American Muslims are an emerging political bloc. We are not waiting for validation from bigoted politicians or to pass tests of our allegiance from the likes of White – and we will respond to bigotry, regardless of party affiliation. As the 2016 elections quickly approach, we as voters expect real debates on issues impacting all Americans: the economy, education, healthcare and national security. It is our responsibility to keep elected officials and candidates accountable to all the people they serve; that is how we pledge our allegiance.
Linda Sarsour: Texas legislator Molly White joined some more famous conservatives in the ‘Super Bowl of Bigotry’ this week, vying for the title of Biggest Islamophobe