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I have covered the rise of hate crimes against Muslims since 2016. And while this is some of the most horrific footage I've seen, when I was first about the mosque attack in New Zealand— I was not surprised.
I didn't like my reaction, believe me. But, you see, this is the culmination of a long line of increasingly anti-Muslim rhetoric — rhetoric that goes completely unchecked by societies at large.
Last year @HannahAllam and I analyzed and found that Republican officials in 49 states have openly attacked Muslims with words and proposed legislation since 2015, and few have faced repercussions. buzzfeednews.com/article/hannah…
I wrote about how a former FBI agent teaches Muslim conspiracy theories to police officers. Yes, to law enforcement. buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
Even militias get to use model mosques as target practice and post them to YouTube. When I wrote this, did I think one day the mosque wouldn't be just a model? Yes, I did. buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
In 2017 I went to Minnesota after a mosque there was bombed. Yes, bombed. buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
Did you know in 28 cities in 21 states across the country, people held "anti-Sharia" rallies? They did, and it was vile, and bigoted at times. Did you notice? buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
Around the country, when Muslims try to build mosques, normally mundane city halls meeting become widely attended, and places for heated discussions. People evoke rarely used local zoning laws as barriers to halt mosques: buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
And for the mosques already there, they become targets for attacks. In this case, the police didn't believe the ripping of Qurans was motivated by hate: buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
Memes about the extermination of Muslims are just mistakes: buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
"Islamophobia is a winning message. It won resoundingly tonight. Racism won resoundingly tonight. Racism, sexism, all won resoundingly tonight," @KhaledBeydoun told a room full of Muslim Americans on election night in 2016. buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
"The FBI arrested the Boston-area man allegedly hoarding weapons and materials that could make explosives. The FBI also said it found handwritten notes that threatened “violence against members of the Islamic religion.” buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
I've written about Muslim/Islam hatred for so long and so often that I even forgot about that.
"An Oklahoma lawmaker who once called Islam "a cancer in our nation that needs to be cut out" has now successfully proposed an interim study to determine the threat and effect of radicalization." buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
Imagine a politician saying that about any other religion and keeping his job.
Ugh, I just noticed a missing word in my first tweet. I meant to say "when I was first *told* about the mosque attack in New Zealand — I was not surprised."
The run-up to the election was really something: buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
All the while, things like this are happening: "Tampa fire officials said three samples taken from the small one-story mosque contained gasoline." buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
"Hate crimes against Muslims in the US rose by 67% in 2015 in the second-highest annual percentage increase recorded since 1992." buzzfeednews.com/article/talala…
This is a time where a white man can describe people in a Muslim majority country “semiliterate primitive monkeys” and have a primetime show on a major news network.
I could keep going but I'd rather not re-traumatize myself or others anymore than they already might be.
So yeah, that's why I'm not surprised, even though I desperately wish I was.
One last thing. Every time I would write about this stuff, I would get rewarded with heinous emails, rude comments in the story, or replies, like this one I just received: 
