How to radicalize ‘impressionable young Muslims’ in America

 

“Donald J. Trump,”
(speaking of himself in the third person)
“is calling for a total and complete shutdown
of Muslims entering the United States.”

This is how to radicalize “impressionable young Muslims.”

In Irving, Texas, people went to their mosque to worship
and were met with guns
gun-toting protesters
gun-toting anti-Muslim protesters
gun-toting holier-than-thou, more-American-than-thou protesters.

This is how to radicalize “impressionable young Muslims.”

In Virginia, an engineer at a community forum
presented plans to renovate the Islamic Center.
“Nobody wants your evil cult in this town,”
said one good American in the crowd
at the hearing on a zoning permit.
“Every Muslim is a terrorist, period. Shut your mouth,”
and the crowd cheered.

This is how to radicalize “impressionable young Muslims.”

“Islam is a false religion and
it is inspired by Satan himself.”
preached Rev. Robert Jeffress
in the First Baptist Church in Dallas
and his congregation stood up and applauded.

“2015 was a banner year for hatred”
said the director of the Dallas-Fort Worth
Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Maher Khalil and Anas Ayyad were flying home to Philadelphia.
From Chicago’s Midway airport.
Where they were speaking to each other in Arabic.
That made someone nervous.
The airline said they could not fly.

2015 was a banner year for hatred.

Khalil called the cops.
They said he could get on the plane.
He got on the plane.
Carrying a white box.
“Everybody started giving us that look.”

2015 was a banner year for hatred.

So he opened the box
and shared baklava with everyone.
“Everybody in America is from different countries.”
said Khalil.
“I’m one of them.
I’m an American citizen.”

But 2015 was a banner year for hatred.

A cab driver in Pittsburgh
an immigrant from Morocco
picked up a passenger on Thanksgiving.
The passenger asked him about his religion
and about ISIS
went into his house to get money for the fare
returned with a rifle and shot the cab driver.

2015 was a banner year for hatred.

“We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims,”
said a man at a Trump rally.
(We have a problem in this country. It’s called the constitution.)

“Congress shall make no law
respecting establishment of a religion
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”

Muslims in America are like Jews in America are like Catholics in America are like Mormons in America are like Lutherans in America are like Baptists in America are like Anyone in America

“Congress shall make no law
respecting establishment of a religion
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”

Muslims are in America, are Americans, are born here, are raised here, serve in goddam armies here, are good here, are bad here, are smart here, are dumb here, are like
Anyone in America.

“Donald J. Trump,”
(speaking of himself in the third person)
“is calling for a total and complete shutdown
of Muslims entering the United States.”

And Public Radio asks for a discussion
of his proposal
“without regard to the legalities”
(and seemingly
without regard to the moralities.)
Would Public Radio also host a discussion
without regard to the legalities,
of the proposition that
a Catholic should not be allowed to run for president?
or the proposition that
everyone’s religion should be inscribed
on their passport
or perhaps on a red crescent
or a yellow star?

This is how to radicalize “impressionable young Muslims.”

No need to send anyone
to Pakistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia:
Made in America works just fine
in a banner year for hatred in America.