November 29, 2017: South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) condemns President Trump’s appalling and irresponsible actions in retweeting unverified videos portraying Muslims committing violence. The videos were titled: “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!â€, “Muslim Destroys a Statue of Virgin Mary!†and “Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!†The President’s tweets will only serve to actively incite violence against communities in his own nation at a time when Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim face historic levels of violence. This is not only unconscionable, it is un-American and deeply disturbing.
In response, Suman Raghunathan, Executive Director of SAALT, released the following statement:
“The President’s incendiary and irresponsible tweets this morning will continue to create an atmosphere of hatred, fear, and suspicion of our communities. The source of the President’s retweets is an ultranationalist British party leader who has been previously charged with “religious aggravated harassment.†In response to the President’s tweets, David Duke, former head of the Ku Klux Klan stated, “Thank God for Trump! That's why we love him!â€
The actions and message sent across by the President must be condemned and renounced immediately.
Hate remains sharply on the rise in the United States. According to the FBI’s 2016 hate crimes statistics, anti-Muslim hate crimes increased by 19%, anti-Hindu hate crimes increased by 100%, and anti-Sikh hate crimes increased by 17%. According to PEW, assaults against Muslims have surpassed levels reached in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Since the election, SAALT has documented over 205 incidents of hate violence aimed at South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Arab, and Middle Eastern Americans, a 58% increase from the year prior. Due to underreporting, these incidents are just a fraction of the violence our communities continue to face.
As a result of Islamophobic federal policies such as the Muslim Ban and the President’s semantic stampedes on twitter, our communities continue to suffer injustices at the hands of white supremacists and anti-Muslim hate groups nationwide.
We must demand better from our President and democracy. The United States was founded on the principles of religious freedom, and our leaders must promote rather than counteract these values. SAALT opposes this administration’s acutely anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies, and will continue to demand dignity and full inclusion for all communities.â€
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South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) is a national, nonpartisan, non-profit organization that fights for racial justice and advocates for the civil rights of all South Asians in the United States. Our ultimate vision is dignity and full inclusion for all.
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