My mother and I attended a self-motivation lecture on Saturday in Memphis. After the program ended, I went through my social media to see what I had missed in the last couple of hours. A friend had posted on her Facebook wall, “Jewish friends… major hugs … How are you holding up? Here if you need to talk.”
Her post puzzled me at first; however, it only took me a second to feel an eerie sense of dread. People don’t need hugs unless something terrible happened.
The story of the synagogue was still developing when I checked my BBC app, but essential facts were already present. A man had walked into a synagogue in Pittsburgh during a Shabbat morning service and proceeded to murder 11 Americans in cold blood while screaming, “All Jews must die.”
When an attack or shooting happens, it’s a common habit for Muslims to verify whether or not the perpetrator was a member of our faith, not to minimize or belittle the tragedy but simply to brace ourselves for impact, scrutiny and guilt by association.
Oddly enough, this time my concern was more on the bigger picture: the crime itself, its overall significance and what it says about our country.
The old saying is “Bad things come in threes:” first, the failed assassination attempts targeted at Democrats earlier this week, then the murders of two African-Americans at a Kroger, and now, the worst anti-Semitic attack in our country’s history.
Although I am horrified, I am not surprised. We live in a time and a place where the shameful have not only become shameless but proudful and powerful, as well.
Since his days as a candidate, President Donald Trump has done anything but disassociate himself from white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
And worse, they know he supports them, or at least that he isn’t bothered by them. I understand that there might be some who may argue that the president never publicly endorsed neo-Nazis or the KKK.
Disturbingly enough, there has been a surge of neo-Nazis and white supremacists running as Republicans for office, which is really twisted, considering that most Tea-party, “traditional” Republicans have an undying love for and loyalty to the State of Israel.
Or at least they claim to. How will they explain to their Jewish friends that they side with people who believe the Holocaust was a hoax?
Communities across the country have shown so much support for and solidarity with the Jewish community. Within three days, the Muslim community has managed to raise $180,000 for the synagogue shooting victims. It never ceases to amaze me how a little good can come from something so tragic and evil. But that is what is unique about humanity: even the darkest of acts can bring unity and understanding.
To my Muslim and Jewish Americans: look out for each other. We are both Americans and minorities. We are both facing the same hate and ideas that expelled both of us from Spain centuries ago, and it is crucial that we look to our similarities and common goals in the days ahead.
Suad Patton-Bey is a senior journalism and Arabic major from Oxford.
