I try not to engage the hate for my own mental health and self worth but every once in a while I jump in to affirm that I am not afraid and I will be who I am: an unapologetic Palestinian Muslim American mom activist/organizer from Brooklyn. Nothing will ever change that.
There are people who hate what I represent. I shatter every stereotype they have of Muslim women and my existence dismantles the propaganda they have spewed about Muslims and some folks have fell for because we need an enemy to blame our ills on. Muslims have become that.
Vilifying Muslims is a favorite past-time for some. It’s not just rhetoric, it’s policies targeting people who are Muslim, it’s hate crimes against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims. They don’t want us to speak out AND when we do we become targets of the venom.
I will not allow for my people to be vilified & dehumanized because when it’s allowed for too long - bad things happen. Atrocities happen and the history of this country taught me that. We will keep organizing, building power and speaking out because it’s OUR right to.
