Life & Style

Muslims are the new black men: Samuel L Jackson

Following the attacks, people have a "legitimate reason" to fear Muslims, says the Pulp Fiction star

Entertainment Desk December 30, 2015

following the attacks people have a quot legitimate reason quot to fear muslims says the pulp fiction star photo screencrush com

Following the attacks, people have a "legitimate reason" to fear Muslims, says the Pulp Fiction star. PHOTO: SCREENCRUSH.COM

Famed Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson has spoken out against the rampant islamophobia gripping the US after attacks by ISIS in Paris and California.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Samuel said he empathizes with Muslims because they are "the new black men" and are facing the discrimination that black people once used to face in a predominantly white country.

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Following the attacks, people have a "legitimate reason" to fear Muslims, says the Pulp Fiction star and that has lead to ordinary, innocent citizens suffering.

He also added that he had hoped the California shooting that killed 14 people and injured 21 would not be linked to Muslims, because that would legitimize the fear further after the Paris attacks.

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"When that thing happened in France, we were sitting there going, 'Oh, my God, these terrorists!' And I can't even tell you how much that day the thing that happened in San Bernardino — I was in Hawaii — how much I really wanted that to just be another, you know, crazy white dude, and not really some Muslims."

"Because it's like: 'Oh, shit. It's here. And it's here in another kind of way.' Now, okay, it happened on an Army base and it happened somewhere else. But now? It's like they have a legitimate reason now to look at your Muslim neighbour, friend, whatever in another way. And they become the new young black men," he explained.

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Commenting on the ongoing American elections and his golf buddy Donald Trump's controversial views on Muslims and refugees, he simply said, "There's absolutely nothing I can do. There are some other people that aren't as open about what he's saying that are running also, you know, that are just as crazy, that have just as much ill-will toward the common man — and not just the common black man. People who don't have a certain amount of money don't mean anything to them."

Samuel, however, remains a loyal Democrat and says he is voting for Hillary Clinton. "I'm gonna vote for Hillary. I mean, I love Bernie — Bernie's a man of the people — but he can't win. So I gotta cast my vote for a person that can keep those other people from winning, okay? Not to mention, you know, Hillary kinda knows the job, she can hit the ground running," he added.

His latest movie, The Hateful Eight, will be hitting theatres on January 1.

COMMENTS (24)

SHAH | 8 years ago | Reply On 911, I was in USA, and felt the pain of what was to follow and come... I told many of my black friends in USA that "Finally today you have become Americans, even though still 'Black' Americans, but none the less, Americans" as they have found someone else now to call the enemy or the non-americans. Whaever the conspiracy theory, the cycle will need to be completed and till the time another new enemy is found by these so called true and loyal patriotic americans, even though they are all immigrants anyway, till then these muslims will be branded as the enemy.. Once another is branded, these same enemy muslims will them become real Americans like the blacks became on 911.

Raju Indian | 8 years ago | Reply How ridiculously wrong, just to get a soundbite in the media - I dont recall blacks trying to destroy the country that gives them refuge/opportunities anywhere in the world...

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Tyggar | 8 years ago | Reply The difference is....People disliked blacks for their color, people dislike Muslims for their actions

Haji Atiya | 8 years ago | Reply @Vikram: And wonders what that desperado got outta it ?

Prada | 8 years ago | Reply I thought orange was the new black !

Vicky | 8 years ago | Reply Hate against Muslims are not like blacks which based on colour basis..... there are strong anti Muslim sentiments emerging in USA, Europe, France, China, Burma, India,Australia, Russia etc...so Muslims need to introspect, what's going wrong

Sam | 8 years ago | Reply No...Pakistanis aren't like blacks.... "how can Europeans put sexy white Pakistanis in same category with blacks"

illpopo | 8 years ago | Reply @AbuMubarak: Have no reason to disagree with you!

Tp | 8 years ago | Reply @Rex Minor: How many out of the billion need "medical treatment"? It is estimated that around 25% of these surely do.

Vikram | 8 years ago | Reply A former neighbor, Marquez Enrique, who prosecutors say supplied assault rifles to the couple who massacred 14 people at a county office building in San Bernardino, California, was indicted on Wednesday on charges of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Marquez seems like a Spanish name.

An Indian | 8 years ago | Reply Except Blacks have not committed/perpetrated any mass terrorist attacks.

IndianDude | 8 years ago | Reply Both the left wing and right wing Americans are guilty of painting all the American Muslims with the same broad brush. Most of the Muslims like the ones from India, Bangladesh, Malaysia etc., living in Americas, are peaceful and patriotic addition to the societies, unlike the most from Pakistan. Almost all the terrorist attack in USA, UK and Canada had direct or indirect involvement or links to Pakistan and Pakistani Muslims, from the first 1993 world trade center bombing by Yusuf ramzi caught in Karachi to the latest california husband and wife team. So stop giving bad name to otherwise peaceful Muslim communities.

Paul | 8 years ago | Reply Ummm... ISIS had nothing to do with the attack in California. That was some false information the media went around spreading until the FBI director pointed out that it wasn't true. That was some time ago, yet, somehow this 'news' source is still unaware of that information.

Bairooni Haath | 8 years ago | Reply He is spot on. They both live their lives in crime and welfare. Have excuses for their bad behavior and are always complaining.

Rex Minor | 8 years ago | Reply @hammad: you can hate one ethnicity, one colour but not millions of ethnicities which muslim are, they are black, white, yellow, brown, red etc, they are in several countries, they are in many continents. Now you have it Sir, they total more than a billion and are feared not hated. The one who resorts to violence against the innocents has no religion and definiely requires medical treatment. Rex Minor

Skywalker | 8 years ago | Reply @khurram shahzad: Even if we are 1.5+billion, if it means a lot, then there are many in 5+billions who can equally say, are fed up with Muslims. Let us not brag in numbers. Let us brag in accomplishments, if we can.

AbuMubarak | 8 years ago | Reply Samuel is right and wrong. Right that the USA is expressing its hatred towards a people. A barbaric hatred that is similar to the hatred they have had (and still do) for black folks in the USA. They had similar hatred for Indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere (they still despise Mexicans). This is the American Way. Wrong in that, the USA is still killing black men with impunity. Locking them up with long prison terms, treating them like one-step above slavery. The USA Prison industrial complex is growing and profitable. The New Jim Crow (Michelle Alexander). Wrong in that, the USA has killed thousands of Muslims overseas. Some estimate over a million. Libya, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, have all been victims of USA aggression and killings. Millions of innocent Muslims have suffered. YET, the USA still holds itself to be the victim. And even the word "terrorist" has become synonymous with Muslims even though the USA, Europe and Israel have committed insurmountable acts of terrorism all over the world, historically and currently.

Milind | 8 years ago | Reply The Western world was always welcoming to immigrants (Muslims included). However Muslims themselves are responsible for the mess they've landed themselves into.. The Blacks were not welcome into America, but forcibly brought in.

hammad | 8 years ago | Reply you can hate one ethnicity, one colour but not millions of ethnicities which muslim are, they are black, white, yellow, brown, red etc, they are in several countries, they are in many continents. you can hate one ethnicity but you can't just hate on relgion sorry, but thats true

Ch. Allah Daad | 8 years ago | Reply Absolutely wrong. There is no comparison between African Blacks and Muslims. Blacks were rounded up, beaten, raped and sold in Western World, whereas no Muslim in recent times was treated in such a horrible way. Muslims arrived on American and European shores willingly to build their future homes. Blacks did not contribute to their misfortune but Muslims did. There is a huge difference between two.

Rex Minor | 8 years ago | Reply In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Samuel said he empathizes with Muslims because they are “the new black men” and are facing the discrimination that black people once used to face in a predominantly white country. For a black man every thing is black or white. The facts are quite different, it is the two american administrations with their policies of setting up terrorist training centres in places like Abu Ghareb, Bagram and Guatanimo prison besides many other secret centres, whose graduates are now causing havoc among civilians without discrimination and their proxies are simply copying their acts in all corners of the world.. Remember, those who fight a monster can over time land in the abyss themselves. The white police man aint going to stop shooting the unarmed black youth whether samuel jackson votes for the democrats or the republicans. Rex Minor

khurram shahzad | 8 years ago | Reply @Stranger: No i dont think World hates Muslims. There are over billion Muslims around the world how can world hate them. Americans did Hiroshima and Nagasaki but still world loves them then how world can hate Muslims for the crime true Muslims have never ever committed.

Roar | 8 years ago | Reply @Stranger "Jews" once asked themselves when Hitler was "fighting a war" against them....now jews are innocent!!! and the world called that slaughter Holocaust!!! Bro Muslims are not confined to a single country and your media perception cant suppress the voices anymore now!!!

Stranger | 8 years ago | Reply Ms should start asking them selves why the world hates them so much.

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