Shocked about Trump? Look yourself in the mirror

“Muslims are foreigners to him,” said Munarman, a spokesman for Indonesian extremist group the Islamic Defenders’ Front, notorious for hate crimes and violence in the name of Islam. “In Donald Trump’s view, Muslims are not part of America.”

Indeed, the world is still trying to process what exactly happened in America. How did Donald Trump become the leader of the “free world.”

To me the most hypocritical reaction comes from the Muslim world. Of course they have focused on his controversial calls to ban Muslims from entering America and increasing surveillance on American Muslims in response to terrorist offences.



Muslim anger was palpable. “We hope that Trump’s remarks against Muslims were only to boost his campaign,” said Tahir Ashrafi, a senior Pakistani government cleric.

A senior Pakistani government official, speaking anonymously, even called the news “absolutely atrocious and horrifying.”

In his self-proclaimed mission to “make America great again”, Trump labelled Latinos as rapists, criminals and killers, and called for a wall to stop the influx from Mexico. It was apparently not a problem when these underpaid, overworked and undocumented Latino folk were working for his many enterprises.

Mind you, “the Latinos” were not the only ones keeping America from greatness. According to Trump, “The African-Americans” were lazy people living on food stamps in war zones holding themselves and “us” back. The use of the article “the” clearly suggesting they are different from white America.

As Marc Morial of the National Urban League pointed out, this does not match reality, but Trump is not one to let facts get in the way of good “us” versus “them” arguments.



Consistent with the Zeitgest of the day, Muslims also represent the “other”. They are, of course, mostly terrorists (except for a few self-haters and snitches). These potential terrorists had to be vetted, surveilled and maybe even banned until he “can figure out what is going on.”

Fat. Pig. Dog. Slob. Disgusting animal. Ugly. Nasty. These are some of the choicest words Trump reserved for women. They are to be “conquered.” They were not to be valued unless they were “gorgeous,” young and had the right measurements. If not, well, then she’s fired!

The disabled, refugees, the less well to do, and even the parents of a Muslim soldier, who was reportedly killed by a suicide bomber while saving the lives of countless Americans, were not off limits.

Nothing was sacred for Trump, who considered himself untouchable, thanks in part to his supporters’ willingness to give him a free pass even when he crossed every imaginable line. He could do no wrong because he was always the lesser of the two evils.

Lying was okay, because Hillary did not secure her emails.

Not paying taxes just proved that he was smart. Whatever. Anyways, Hillary’s big supporters did the same.

Allegations of sexual assault were simply Trump being a man. Well, Bill Clinton was no saint either. The misogyny of holding Hillary accountable for her husband’s actions was lost on them.

There is no doubt that Trump’s political campaign was full of bigotry, racism, nativism, xenophobia, fear, lies and sexism. Yet, a majority of Americans still voted for him.

But hearing some Muslims complain about this while they continue to oppress minorities, women, and push their extremist or “traditional” agendas is laughable. What is even more astonishing is to hear Trump being called out by many Muslim leaders who actually do far worse in their own backyards than what Trump has talked about doing.

Americans have spoken out after eight years of Democratic rule. And no they are not all racists, bigots, xenophobes, sexists or nativists. I personally know many Republicans who voted based on issues that they felt were important for them, their families and their country, not because they supported all of the above. Of course, some (and that is too many) voted for those very reasons, but by and large most voted for change from the status quo. They were fed up with both parties and the status quo. It is critical to understand that he won not because people agreed with him on everything, but because many Americans used him as the battering ram to break open the gates of the establishment fortress.

Like most other nations, America is just another polarised and divided country that needs to talk to each other as opposed to at each other through extreme manifestations of each other. They may then realise that it does not have to be an all or nothing game. Listening and seeking to understand is the first step to dialogue. Agree or disagree with his eclectic mix of supporters, including: evangelicals who wanted to make the country more Christian; those who favored more restrictions on abortion and same-sex marriages; and those worried about Hillary’s direction on the economy, healthcare, education, international aid, immigration and foreign military involvement.

Most importantly, they wanted to “drain the swamp” of corruption that many believe thrives in the corridors of power.

The sad truth is that Trump may not be all that different from establishment candidates when the dust settles and he confronts the realities and challenges of governing a diverse nation with powerful lobbies.

His uncharacteristic victory speech where he thanked and congratulated Hillary, vowed to “seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict,” and pledged to “bind the wounds of division” and “be president for all Americans,” appear to be the first conciliatory steps.

Only time will tell if Trump will be able to balance the conflicting interests of the hodgepodge of voters who backed him and pull it all together to lead a deeply divided country.

In any event, catharsis is an important step in renewal. This release valve of pent up frustrations opened by Trump may serve as a necessary step in the process of making America sane again.

Rather than pointing fingers, the Muslim world and its leaders must look in the mirror and put their own houses in order first.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2016.

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