Republicans Taunt US Muslim Reporter
“I attended the convention as a reporter hoping to tell readers about the panel discussions I attended, but I discovered a cult-like hatred that is simply disgusting,” Heba Said, a senior at the University of Texas at Arlington and the opinion editor of the school paper, The Shorthorn, wrote in her column.
The 22-year-old Muslim reporter said that she was targeted, mocked and faced discrimination for her Islamic attire at Texas GOP convention that ended a week ago.
Applying for media credentials to attend the convention, the Muslim reporter aimed to tell her readers about the experience of sitting during panel discussions with delegates.
Yet, the senior student's dream was shattered, turning into a nightmare of racial abuse.
“As I walked through the halls, people stopped in their tracks and frowned and shook their heads at me,” Heba wrote.
“Panelists threw the word “Islamist” around as if it were perfectly OK, and one man even asked if I felt alone at a meeting.
“I was referred to as “you people” and “y’all Muslims” more times than I can count.
“The worst part was the way delegates looked at me, as if I were something to fear when I approached them,” she added.
The Muslim reporter's complaints were rejected by Texas GOP chairman.
“I did not observe any of this,” Steve Munisteri, Texas GOP chairman, told Yahoo News on Saturday, June 14.
“I never heard a single anti-Muslim statement, and I never saw any anti-Muslim activity.”
The Republican leader said that this year's meeting drew 10,000 participants, and that everyone was expected to “treat their fellow delegates and guests with respect and civility.”
“Is it possible that some knucklehead said something that was mean-spirited to somebody? Sure,” he said.
“Would the state party ever condone that? Absolutely not.”
Optimistic
Feeling discriminated against, the young Muslim expressed enthusiasm to pursue her aspiration to become a successful reporter, saying that she remains “optimistic”.
“Because this happened, it means that there’s not enough diversity out there,” Heba told Yahoo News.
“It’s encouraged me.”
The Muslim student, who will graduate next year with a degree in political science and minor in Arabic, aims to attend a law school or graduate school in order to become a political correspondent.
Like hundreds of the attendants, she wanted to capture a photo for the GOP tea party star Ted Cruz, but she feared of being “profiled by police”.
“I found five police officers behind me, hands on holsters watching me intently,” she wrote.
“Armed with a press badge and an iPhone, I turned to them held up my media credentials and asked if I could help them with something, as my heart tried to escape my chest.
“They did not respond but broke up into groups of two and continued watching me. If I was the biggest threat at that convention, then I must be seriously underestimating myself.”
Asking about Republican's prospects to draw Muslim voters, Heba wrote that she faced discrimination, stirring up speculations about her American identity.
“After discussing with one candidate whether there were Muslim outreach plans, I almost didn’t feel like I was allowed to be American, as if what he said stripped me from my American identity,” the Muslim reporter wrote.
“He asked me where I was from. When I responded, “Texas,” he asked me where I was really from, as if there were no way it could possibly be from Texas.
“On my mom’s side I’m thirteenth generation American,” she told Yahoo News.
Though there are no official estimates, the US is home to from 7-8 million Muslims.
An earlier Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans Muslims are loyal to their country and optimistic about their future in the United States.
Since the 9/11 attacks on the United States, many Muslims have complained of facing discrimination and stereotypes in the society because of their Islamic attires or identities.
A recent report by the umbrella Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has found that Islamophobia in the US is on the rise.
Source: OnIslam
