An unusual Muslim response to Donald Trump's comments
| New York
The New York comedian Negin Farsad has been trying for years to battle anti-Muslim sentiments in a quintessentially American way: spoof hate with satire.
Back in January, after Donald Trump first suggested a 鈥渃omplete shutdown鈥� of all Muslims coming into the United States, Ms. Farsad went to Washington Square in Manhattan to film an ironic commentary.听She asked people if they were Muslim or not, and if someone said, no, she鈥檇 say: 鈥淧rove it!鈥� and ask them to eat from a plate of bacon (which is forbidden in Islam).
Just this week, the听posters for the听satiric documentary by her and fellow comedian听听鈥撎�淭he Muslims are Coming!鈥� 鈥� went up in New York subways. In its tongue-and cheek 鈥淔acts About Muslims,鈥� one poster claims: 鈥淢uslims invented Justin Timberlake.鈥澨�
The obvious point is to听introduce Muslims and Islam as a normal a part of the American mosaic. And that听sense of humor could come in useful again after Mr. Trump told CNN Wednesday:听听
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny, I鈥檝e been dealing with the Trump stuff a lot,鈥� Ms. Farsad says.
The fact is, for many, a poster claiming 鈥淭he Muslims are Coming!鈥� 鈥� even sarcastically 鈥� cuts a little too close to home. New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority bans political ads, and it took a year of legal action to establish that the ads were not political and could be posted.
Still, just the fact that Farsad needs to introduce the everyday lives of Muslims in America with humor 鈥� or wax sarcastic about ideas others find dangerous 鈥� speaks to negative views about the Muslim community in the US. A that gauged Americans' "temperature" toward different religious groups found Muslims were viewed more coldly than any group except atheists.听
After the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., last year, a rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric has been mirrored in an increase in attacks and discrimination, according to . 听
In February, President Obama made his first visit to a US mosque, decrying the 鈥渋nexcusable political rhetoric鈥� during the presidential campaign and assuring Muslims that 鈥淵ou fit in here.鈥�听听
On Wednesday, Trump suggested the opposite. "We have to be very vigilant,鈥� he told CNN鈥檚 Anderson Cooper. 鈥淲e have to be very careful. And we can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States."
Such rhetoric infuriates Pastor Bob Roberts, head of the 3,000-member NorthWood Church, an evangelical congregation in Keller, Texas. 鈥淗e鈥檚 wrong, he鈥檚 very wrong,鈥� he says of Trump. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 know what he鈥檚 talking about. He鈥檚 just wrong, and what he鈥檚 doing is dangerous. He鈥檚 spewing fire, and he鈥檚 doing exactly ISIS would want.鈥�
Though he says members of his 鈥渆vangelical tribe鈥� have often made Islamophobia worse, Pastor Roberts has made a ministry of building ties to Muslim clerics in the US and abroad. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e watching out for the 海角大神s who are there, and we鈥檙e watching out for Islamophobia here.鈥�
鈥淏ut in my conversations here and overseas, they feel like Trump is stirring up a lot of negative feelings,鈥� he adds.
The same is true here. 鈥淚t鈥檚 frightening when rhetoric being spoken on a national platform can actually translate into actual acts of violence against people,鈥� says Madihha Ahussain, staff attorney with Muslim Advocates in Oakland, Calif., which helped the comedians sue the MTA to allow their ads.听
But this week, she at least got a chuckle from the posters. If they can evoke the same response from others, she says, that would be no small thing.听
鈥淚t makes you laugh,鈥� Ms. Ahussain says. 鈥淎nd what it can do, is that it can really change preexisting perceptions that many people have of what a Muslim is. And we are thrilled that these ads are going up because we think it means a lot to the community right now, for them to be able to walk into a subway station and see that those ads have a right to be there 鈥� it鈥檚 not political to be Muslim.鈥�
Not surprisingly, Farsad can only crack wise about the recent Trump outburst. 鈥淢aybe somebody someday will say something nice about Muslims, and that will be major news!鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e not at that point yet in our political history.鈥�
