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I just wanted to share the post I wrote on facebook today…
I don’t want to find myself wishing I’d said more about the rampant Islamophobia gripping America and the Western World. But just saying, “Hey, guys, all Muslims aren’t bad” isn’t enough. I want to speak directly to Islamophobes, giving concrete examples that hopefully speak to you, of how part of the Muslim community has been an ally to our country, to our military, to our intelligence community, to our safety, to our freedom. I was a translator of Arabic/English and worked in the intel community for a decade–in military intelligence as well as other government organizations. I worked alongside Muslims who were collaborating to topple Saddam’s regime–a regime under which many were persecuted for being the wrong kind of Muslim. I learned Arabic under Muslim immigrants. (One particular couple comes to mind: a couple who was brought to the US under dire circumstances, and then stayed and served the Department of Defense for decades.) There are Muslims in the same Air Force in which I served. I worked overseas with Arab-world allies in foreign intelligence. I escorted official delegations visiting the US to collaborate with our intel community. None of these people deserve your hate; most especially, hate directed at Muslims serving America from those who have never signed up to die for their country. When I see complaints that we have Muslims working in intel, I think, Yeah, no kidding–Who do you think taught me? Whom do you think we turn to when we have no idea what someone is saying in a lesser-known dialect? Quit hating on Muslims. Better yet, quit hating.
