Aziz Ansari Talks Islamophobia, Racism In Opening Monologue From SNL
Aziz Ansari, the actor and comedian, most recently known for the Netflix show Master of None, penned an essay in the New York Times addressing Jabba The Hut posing as the Republican Party presumptive presidential candidate Donald J. Trump's rampant and reckless racism and xenophobia towards Muslims and Muslim-Americans. Ansari truthfully yet painfully explains the damage that a Trumpian (See: racist) type of logic causes to Muslims. Ansari touches on the fear he has for his family due to the hate that has been fanned by Trump and his supporters. He opens the Op-Ed by recounting a message he sends to his mother.
“DON’T go anywhere near a mosque.” Ansari tells his mother.
“Do all your prayer at home. O.K.?” He continues.
That muslims and people of color fear of violence accompanying a visit to a house of worship is the saddening reality of America in 2016, as noted by Ansari.
Almost one year ago, on the night of June 17th, 2015 Dylann Roofentered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. He murdered nine black church goers.
Ansari, a native of South Carolina, utilizes his well known wit to make the case that if Trump suggests banning Muslims because a few people of Muslim descent have committed acts of mass violence (a very, very small amount at that) then white men should also be banned for the acts of mass violence and economic violence committed by members of that group. See what he says for yourself:
"The vitriolic and hate-filled rhetoric coming from Mr. Trump isn’t so far off from cursing at strangers from a car window. He has said that people in the American Muslim community “know who the bad ones are,” implying that millions of innocent people are somehow complicit in awful attacks. Not only is this wrongheaded; but it also does nothing to address the real problems posed by terrorist attacks. By Mr. Trump’s logic, after the huge financial crisis of 2007-08, the best way to protect the American economy would have been to ban white males.
According to reporting by Mother Jones, since 9/11, there have been 49 mass shootings in this country, and more than half of those were perpetrated by white males. I doubt we’ll hear Mr. Trump make a speech asking his fellow white males to tell authorities “who the bad ones are,” or call for restricting white males’ freedoms."
True dat.
Make sure to read the essay in full here.
H/T: NYT
