It didn’t surprise me when my 12 years old son told me that Mr. Trump is a racist? What surprises me however is that Donald Trump is the leading Republican Party candidate who is continuing to win in many states?
Mr.Trump began his presidential bid by branding Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals. This is the man who has called various women disgusting and grotesque. According to him “Islam hates us”. Previously he has said that he wanted a “temporary shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” I find this so unfair to Muslims worldwide.
To me it is impossible to believe that Mr. Trump is unaware about the controversial nature of his campaign. I don’t think he really knows any Muslims personally; otherwise he would not make such outrageous claims. I don’t think that there is an accident from his side. I think he is doing everything absolutely intentionally, calculatedly, and purposely.
I dislike it when the Republican frontrunner makes such bizarre statements. His “authoritarian style” bothers me. I feel that he is running the most cynical campaign which is trafficking hate and fear, and playing to our public’s worst instincts. He relies on social media to spreads his views. This is convenient because there is no need for him to respond to questions about his fabrications. That makes it imperative that other form of media challenge him. It is hard to ignore his insulting behavior towards immigrants. It is disturbing, hurtful and frustrating to law abiding immigrants.
Mr. Trump’s hate campaign motivated me to dig into some details; how do Muslims find the United States as a place to live? The polls results are contrary to what Mr. Trump claims about Muslims. The key findings by the ISPU (Institute for Social Policy and Understanding) indicate that Muslims in America lean towards the Democratic Party. They are engaged with the community but less engaged politically. They are pious and patriotic and reject attacks on civilians. Mosque attendance is linked to civic engagement and not radicalization. And they are weary of discrimination but at the same time optimistic. The polls results – not surprisingly – are contrary to the Trump’s claims about Muslims. I think he is a childish man running for a job that requires maturity. To me he is simply doubling down on his anti-Muslim rhetoric to get applause from his supporters.
On the contrary I have learned that Muslims-Americans are disproportionately peaceful and value the American way of life. They are generally well integrated. It is fascinating that the majority of Muslims are flourishing, showing remarkable upward mobility. They are hard workers with strong families and a passion for education.
No doubt Mr. Trump is utterly lying about everything and his campaign can be best explained in terms of substance abuse. He is not winning over affluent and educated people. However he is addicted to attention, demanding regular fixes and going to ever greater lengths in terms of reckless statements and provocative acts. He represents those voters who have relatively low levels of education, achievement and information, and are not engaging and focusing on details. They have suffered lost jobs, lost wages, and lost dreams. The American system is not working for them, so naturally they’re looking for something else. They think that Trump knows their pain, even though he really does not. The truth is that they’re suffering from a delusion. Trump is clearly leading them in a wrong direction. And yet the reality is that he does not have the courage and imagination to change the country for the better. To me Mr. Trump is simply a weak and insecure candidate. He will not challenge the system to get better. He is overpromising his supporters. My guess is that his supporters have a big surprise coming. I understand Trump’s supporter’s feelings and I think that they deserve respect, but Trump is not the right choice for them or for America.
My understanding about Mr. Trump is that he is one of the most unqualified and dishonest presidential candidates in American history. Everyone of America’s previous 44 presidents have had either some form of government or military experience before being sworn in. Trump is a real estate mogul and former reality-television star, and has not served a day in public office or in the armed forces. The truth is that he has no experience and substance to serve the country. He is not a suitable candidate for the presidency of the United States.
I was imagining what his plan is to make America great again. Does he intend to make America great by simply getting rid of everything that is great about America; its values, it’s diversity, and it’s openness. To me those are the strengths of America. Mr. Trump cannot make America great by employing the forces of division and discrimination that would divide America between us and them.
I know the concept of a Mr. Trump presidency is scary. He makes me angry, unhappy and uncomfortable. But I still think that I should not react too emotionally. It is not right and my faith does not allow it. I think under the circumstances my faith teaches me to maintain balance, optimism and make the right choice. I strongly feel that using a hate campaign will eventually naturally spoil Trump’s own brand.
There is no doubt that Trump’s Islamophobia is disturbing for Muslims. However I think it is time that Muslims-American play a proactive role within their community. They should be united instead of afraid of him. They need to choose optimism over fear, and hope over anger. Most importantly they need to be informed in order to create a strong and resilient society. They should spread positive messages and engage in an informed and positive conversation with everyone. That is what Islam teaches us.