Daily Beast
Dean Obeidallah
February 17, 2017
It’s been so moving to see ‘We’re All Muslims Now’ signs. And we’re going to see tons of them in Times Square this Sunday. Thanks, Donald!
Donald Trump has done something truly amazing: He has inspired thousands and thousands of Americans to stand up for Muslims in opposition to his “Muslim ban.” It’s such an astounding development that I’m almost happy Trump won!
I’ll be blunt: I never expected to see so many of my fellow Americans take to the streets in over 30 cities from New York to Los Angeles to even Omaha, Nebraska, to make it clear that they not only opposed Trump’s “Muslim ban” but were standing shoulder to shoulder with Muslims. As a Muslim American, I found it hard not to get emotional seeing this outpouring of support for our community.
It was especially awe-inspiring to see so many protesters expressing solidarity with our community by holding up signs that read, “We are all Muslims now.” In fact, The Daily Show’s “Muslim correspondent,” Hassan Minhaj, noted on the show recently the “beautiful irony” at play given Trump’s fear of the spread of Islam. Minhaj then joked, “Well congratulations, Mr. President, mission accomplished,” as a protest sign that read “We are all Muslims now” appeared on the screen.
And this Sunday in New York City we may very well see the biggest gathering of all of people coming out to stand with Muslims. That’s when the “I am a Muslim too” rally will be held in Times Square organized by Russell Simmons, Imam Shamsi Ali, and Rabbi Marc Schneier.
Simmons explained via email, “This rally is meant to focus on this attack on our Muslim brothers and sisters because an attack on them is an attack on all of us.” He added, “We can never truly be free until all of us are free.”
The focus of the rally, as the invitation to faith and community leaders, states, is to protest Trump’s Jan. 27, 2017 executive order. The three organizers are urging these leaders to “lend your powerful voice” to show that you “oppose all types of discrimination against marginalized populations.”
Rabbi Schneier, who has worked along with Simmons for years as leaders of the Foundation For Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) that strives to bring diverse communities together, shared why he believes the “I am Muslim too” rally was needed now. “A people who fight for their own rights are only as honorable as when they fight for the rights of all people,” he says. “In this spirit, we stand in solidarity with the American Muslim community in the face of growing Islamophobia and Muslim bigotry in our country.”