If people do not know history, then they are doomed to repeat it.
This saying is something that all people are told, but its truth has never been more obvious then with Donald Trump’s meteoric rise to the top of the GOP race.
The Donald is a reflection of the worst of American culture. By appealing to a mostly uneducated White constituency with racial leanings, Trump has shown the world what most minority Americans have known, that the GOP’s support base is a mostly white, racist, and Christian, and that they only want Constitutional rights extended to White Christians only. If you are not White or a Christian, then too bad.
It is easy to see that the Donald’s supporters are uneducated and are not able to critically think. This is because Trump has not one time stated any policy. He says what he is going to do but never says how. He has no clue, and he knows this. He is a salesman and his supporters do not have the intellectual capacity to understand this. Their ignorance will lead to the rise of the American Hitler.
When the Donald first started running for president, he started attacking President Barack Obama and said that Pres. Obama destroyed America and that he would make it great again. Adolf Hitler, when first running for president of Germany also stated that he would make Germany great again.
The Donald then immediately began blaming Mexican immigrants for crime, and for weakening America. Trump has stated that the USA needs a wall to prevent Mexican immigrants and others from illegally entering the United States and that he conveniently owns Trump Construction which will be used for the building of this proposed wall.
Trump’s xenophobia began to show as a result of this issue. He said that Mexican immigrants were all criminals and that they did nothing to contribute to the societal fabric of the United States.
Similarly, Adolf Hitler blamed Jewish immigrants for the downfall of Germany, and that he would devise a plan to get rid of the Jewish immigrants which are destroying Germany.
As a result of this uproar, and realizing that he cannot possibly win an election without the Latino vote, Trump then began to blame Muslims for the downfall of America and insinuating that it is possible for all Muslims to be terrorists.
The Donald then went on to say when questioned about what he would do about ‘The Muslim Problem’ he would look into all avenues. The person asking this question, and ardent Trump supporter, said that, “There is a problem in the United States, and it is Muslims, what will he do about it?”. Instead of rebuking the man for speaking about the ‘Muslim Problem’ similar to the German view of the ‘Jewish Problem’, he simply when along with the statement.
Realizing that he gained in polls after this controversy, and watching Ben Carson’s rise due to his Islamophobia, Trump took this xenophobia even further stating that Muslims should register as Muslims, wear signifiers or carry identity cards saying that they are Muslim, and shut down Mosques. Adolf Hitler forced Jews to register and wear identifying markers, he then closed their synagogues. When he realized that he could get away with this, he took it one step further and had 6 million Jews killed in the holocaust.
Trump has also called on a ban for all Muslims to not be allowed visas to enter the United States, this would extend to students as well.
Both Trump and Hitler appealed to an insecure segment of their populace and played the role as being a savior. I am not sure about the educational achievement level of Hitler’s followers in Germany, but there is no doubt that Trump’s support base has either only graduated from high school or never graduated at all.
They are white, have a lower income level, and would be seen as racist if they attacked any other group like this. However, the political climate of the United States allows for the wholesale demonization of American Muslims.
Recently, we have seen time and time again armed White Christians going to Islamic mosques throughout the United States with assault weapons, drawing offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad and bullying Muslims. They are telling them that they are not Americans and are not welcome. If the Muslims were to do this to a Christian church or a Jewish synagogue, the National Guard would be called. However, since it is happening to Muslim mosques, nobody cares.
Alongside Trump’s anti-Islamic rhetoric, Muslims have seen a rise of hate crimes against them driven by Trump’s dangerous rhetoric. He has single-handedly caused the rise of hate-crimes against not only Muslims, but supporters of Black Lives Matters as well. Just recently, spokespeople for the Black Lives Matters movement were beaten by White Supremacists at a Donald Trump rally.
Trump’s speech is also being used by groups such as Daa’ish (ISIS) and al-Qaeda to recruit Muslims. It is much easier for them to say that the war is truly against Muslims and that Muslims will never be accepted by America. The overwhelming support for Trump will make it much easier for young impressionable Muslims to believe that this is true, especially if their ancestors were immigrants and are not really culturally Western where they would understand that we have a Bill of Rights that protects our Civil Rights.
I am an American Muslim. I personally understand how it feels to be harassed for being Muslim. I understand the danger of Islamophobia, and I have seen over and over again the type of people that are attracted to this ideology. They are overwhelmingly White. If you read their online profiles, not only do they attack Muslims, but they attack other immigrants and minorities as well. They are always talking about burning down mosques, getting their guns, and forcing Muslims to leave the United States.
As an American Muslim, the rise of Islamophobia is very unnerving. I am always scared that if I wear a traditional Islamic article of clothing that I will become a victim of a hate crime. No American should feel this way.
I understand the concern of bringing in Syrian refugees without proper vetting. I am sure that Daa’ish will use this as a means to try to enter the United States. However, Daa’ish has a slick social media marketing campaign aimed and getting people to join their cause. The Donald has done more to help Daa’ish gain recruits then all of the other candidates combined.
We need a president who will unite Americans, not divide Americans. Trump is not the answer. May God help us all.