To any and all Muslims that choose to read this, I’d like to say I’m sorry. Not for anything I’ve done personally but for what the world has done to you. As an American I’d like to say that the bigoted views you see on media outlets such as Fox News do not represent all of our views. Most of all, I’m sorry that we haven’t learned.
I’m sorry we haven’t learned. We haven’t learned that it’s wrong to persecute people for religion. I’m sorry that we exhibit such hypocrisy in our country when it comes to religion. I’m sorry that we are a country where we will protest building Mosques, yet raise $500,000 to bail out a bakery that refused to serve a gay couple and call it "religious freedom." I can’t imagine how it must feel to you. I can’t imagine how it feels to walk into an airport with no evil intentions whatsoever, yet still get dirty looks and bigoted comments. I can’t imagine what it feels like to be labeled as a terrorist when you are just an ordinary citizen. I can’t imagine my whole religion receiving a negative connotation because of the actions of a few.
I’m sorry we haven’t learned. We haven’t learned that using a group as a scapegoat is wrong. Donald Trump has made horrible comments regarding your community. He has implied that a majority of America’s problems are because of you. This man has gone as far as saying he’d like to ban you all from entering the United States, and millions of people support him. You have been made a symbol of fear in the United States ever since the 9/11 attacks. I am sorry that all 1.6 billion of you are being held accountable for the actions of a few.
I’m sorry we haven’t learned. We haven’t learned that stereotyping is wrong. I can speak from experience. As a young black man in America, I am familiar with the accusatory glares. I am used to being labeled based on the actions of a few. I’m used to bigots seeing me as a second class citizen. I’m sorry that you don't get to experience the freedom from discrimination that you fully deserve.
I’m sorry that we haven’t learned. We haven’t learned that no religion is inherently evil. I’m sorry that there are people in our country that will take one look at you and immediately treat you like a villain because you are wearing a turban.
I’m sorry that we’ve killed so many of you. In Iraq, there has been a reported 165,000 civilian casualties since 2003. And for what? Because of the terrorist attack they had nothing to do with? I’m sorry we justify these killings, as if your lives are any less valuable than ours.
If you are a Muslim and you are reading this, please know that not all of us are bigoted. I think I speak for the majority of Americans when I say that I see you all as my equals. Muslims are not terrorists. They are not dangerous. They are not evil. For anyone reading this who isn’t a Muslim, I hope that you take this letter to heart. I hope that you sympathize with this unfortunate group of people. What I have seen happening since the early 2000s is religious persecution. The unprecedented hatred and violence towards a community that was falsely represented. You would think that by now we would have grown past this kind of thing. I'm sorry we haven't learned.
