During Sunday’s debates, Gorbah Hamed, a Muslim American woman in the audience, questioned both candidates about the dire issue of Islamophobia.
Hilary Clinton responded by addressing Trump’s “demagogic rhetoric” toward Muslims and how it aids the recruiting efforts of ISIS. “We are not at war with Islam. And it is a mistake and it plays into the hands of the terrorists to act as though we are. So I want a country where citizens like you and your family are just as welcome as anyone else,” said Mrs. Clinton.
Donald Trump called Islamophobia “a shame,” and said that Muslims must do better to “report when they see something going on.”
Little did Trump know that he indeed shares something with the Muslim American community, a deep love for social media. And yup, Muslims came out with some hysterical tweets that went viral with the hashtag #MuslimsReportStuff.
– Moustafa Bayoumi’s had the biggest tweet of the night (scoring 84k retweets and 160k favorites in under 24 hours) with “I’m a Muslim, and I would like to report a crazy man threatening a woman on a stage in Missouri. #debate”
– Hind Makki tweeted: “Hi, I’d like to report that I know many African Americans & Latinos who don’t actually live in inner cities.” #MuslimsReportStuff #debate
– Eman Hassaballa Aly tweeted: “I’d like to report that quinoa is overrated and looks gross. #MuslimsReportStuff”
For the record, this summer FBI Director James Comey said the following about the Muslim community: “some of our most productive relationships are with people who see things and tell us things who happen to be Muslim.” And NBC News reports that “according to a Muslim Public Affairs Council policy report about post-9/11 terrorism incidents, Muslim communities helped U.S. security officials prevent nearly two out of every five al Qaeda plots threatening the U.S. since 9/11.”
Muslim activist Linda Sarsour (Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York) conveyed frustration with both candidates, tweeting: “Why can’t we talk about Muslims without talking about ISIS? We are more than that. Tired of this same old talking point. #debate.”
