Religion and Politics

Running, Not Hiding

BuzzFeed’s Talal Ansari and Hannah Allam write that a record high number of Muslim-Americans are running for office, but many are finding it difficult to counter Islamophobia. They explain, “On the campaign trail, Muslims face death threats and hecklers interrupting stump speeches with tirades about Sharia. Candidates said they’d like to dive right into issues such as minimum wage or health care, but first must answer questions to ‘prove’ their Americanness and loyalty.” Fayrouz Saad, a Muslim-American Democrat running for Congress, said, “You just hope that by continuing to run a professional campaign and to speak to your core message, you can show people, ‘I’m American like everyone else and we believe in the same values.’”

Read at BuzzFeed

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