Michael R. Bernstein

My fellow American Muslims in particular, I want to speak from my heart—as a Muslim, as an immigrant, and as a mother who loves this country. With elections approaching, please vote. But do not vote for someone just because they Muslims. @AbdulElSayed like candidates have damaged the reputation of Islam & Muslims in America. A shared religion, background, or party label should never replace our judgment. I came to America because I wanted freedom. I wanted women’s rights. I wanted a voice. I wanted my children to have opportunities that so many families around the world can only dream about. And America gave my family those opportunities. We also have a responsibility. Whether we arrived driving taxis, practicing medicine, running small businesses, or starting again with very little, we came with hope. We wanted our hard work to mean something. We wanted our children to have a future beyond the circumstances of their birth. After September 11, I remember the fear and the painful questions about belonging. I also remember the Jewish and Christian neighbors, and Americans of different backgrounds and political beliefs, who stood beside us. They reminded us that we belonged. We should remember those hands extended in friendship. And we should be willing to extend our own hands when our neighbors are afraid. Today, I worry about what we are teaching the next generation. history has been revised, and children are being indoctrinated in school and at the mosque. Are we teaching our children to think independently? To investigate a claim before repeating it? To listen to someone whose experience is different from theirs? Or are we allowing anger to do their thinking for them? Our children deserve an education that expands their minds. They deserve the confidence to question a professor, a political movement, a religious leader—and even their own parents. No one should be entitled to their unquestioning loyalty. And let me say something about protest. You have every right to care deeply about Palestinians. You have every right to criticize a government, advocate for civilians, and demand changes in policy. But compassion must come with responsibility. Threatening a Jewish student does not help a Palestinian child. Destroying property does not bring peace. Harassing a neighbor does not make your cause more just. Advocate with knowledge. Organize peacefully. Make an argument you can defend without intimidation. I hold myself to that standard, too. As a person of faith, I believe we should leave our places of worship better prepared to serve others—with more compassion, more humility, and a stronger sense of responsibility. If we leave consumed by contempt for people of other faiths, we need to ask serious questions about what we are being taught. My Islam calls me to answer for my own conduct. It does not give me permission to strip someone else of their dignity. I know that many Muslims who should be speaking up are not, and so we are all going to be painted with the same brushstroke. I hope that moderate Muslims start breaking that silence. I hope that my Muslim community starts introspecting. What am I contributing? What kind of neighbor am I? What example am I setting for my children? Why am I not grateful to this country? Show gratitude to this country for giving you an opportunity of a lifetime. I want my children to cherish those freedoms. I want them to protect their neighbors’ freedom with the same conviction they protect their own. I am Anila Ali. I am thankful to God that I’m living in America. That in itself is a privilege. And I want my words, my actions, and the way I treat other people to reflect that gratitude for this beautiful country. I hope that more Muslims start showing their gratitude and their love for their neighbors. I hope that Muslim clerics and mosques stop preaching anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and hate.