I logged into my computer on Easter morning, and my social media feed was flush with President Trump’s Truth Social post that included threats against Iran, profanity and a mocking reference to the phrase, “Praise be to Allah.”
The sheer number of reposts was jarring. A message like this coming from the POTUS on one of the most holy days for Christians and violating every sense of decency goes beyond the already lowered standards one would expect in public life. As an American Muslim, I felt offended by the message mocking one of the oft-recited religious phrases in Muslim life.
That tone from President Trump is shocking in its crassness and deliberate insensitivity. It’s hard to remember the last time an American president used such a profanity-laden outburst on social media.
The first chapter of the Qur’an opens with this phrase, “Praise be to Allah.” It is an expression of gratitude and humility.
Allah is the Arabic word for the One God. The same God who created this universe. The God that Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad worshipped, signifying a common monotheistic thread.
The use of the word Allah is not just confined to Muslims. Arab Christians use the same word to refer to God. They read the Bible in Arabic, and they also use venerated phrases such as “Praise be to Allah” and “Allah is Greater” in their daily discourse.
As I look back on that Easter morning experience, I see an opportunity lost. If only President Trump had taken a different route and sought common ground, he would have found that we have a lot in common. He would have found that Muslims love and honor Jesus and his mother, Mary. They believe in his miraculous birth without a biological father to the Virgin Mary. They call him the Messiah and the Word of God.
Dr. Hatem Bazian published an article on the recent spurt in Islamophobia in the United States. He noted that this is no longer confined to the margins and is finding its powerful enablers from among elected officials. The brazenness of this open Islamophobia is directly tied to the type of messaging that’s coming from the very top office in our country.
This fearmongering is a favorite playbook of Islamophobes. Whenever there is any distraction needed to turn the public’s attention from real issues facing our country, they fall back on their tried and tested methods to create an irrational fear of Islam and Muslims, othering 1% of the country’s population.
In this polarized climate, the mocking of religious phrases that a quarter of humanity holds dear serves to further create hate and fear. The lack of political consequences to such Islamophobia has no equal. No other religious community can be disrespected in such a manner with little or no consequences.
If we are serious about the promise of this country, then the work ahead is to build bridges of understanding.
