Hate Mail of the Weak

A glance at this week's insecure racists projecting their hate at me and other people of color

What happens when you have the audacity to claim that America is not a Christian nation? Let’s Address This in a new issue of “Hate Mail of the Weak.”

I periodically share this more personal side of my advocacy for human rights because it is important to me that you, my gracious supporters, see what I see. Apologies in advance for the vulgar language in the screen shots below.

It all started when I posted two tweets condemning a Louisiana law mandating displaying the 10 Commandments in public schools. I was frustrated that Louisiana continues to neglect the health and well-being of their own children, yet is ready to enforce religious instruction in the classroom. Yes, they really are.

I followed up with a short thread pointing out that compulsion in matters of faith is ineffective, extremist, and a failing strategy altogether.

Finally I proposed an idea! If this really is about education and not evangelism, then let’s teach about all faiths in a secular, objective environment for the benefit of all.

My posts gained popularity, ultimately gaining over 5000 retweets and 10,000 likes. Then, like clockwork, that drew the ire of those offended that I dare suggest that America is not a Christian nation.

In response, I shared the factual receipts that the Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.

However, I’ve noticed such folks are not necessarily interested in facts. Hence, the next response was classical Islamophobia and ignorance to the fact that Muslims also believe in the 10 Commandments

And then that hate escalated to dehumanizing bigotry.

And then that dehumanizing bigotry escalated into genocidal violence.

To be sure, I reported these hateful violent tweets to Twitter. I would have assumed that calling on the mass murder of 1.6 billion Muslims might violate their terms of service? Unsurprisingly, Twitter found no problem with this genocidal rhetoric and refused to remove these tweets.

I stopped trying to reason with the extremist calling for violence, and instead responded with facts and receipts to shut down the ignorance:

And there were variations of this Islamophobic ignorance as well. Some more aggressive and incendiary than others. For example:

This is a classic shifting of goal posts. When one claim is debunked, those offended shift to a new claim. In this case, the commenter ignored my actual argument and attacked my faith as a Muslim with meritless allegations. I responded in detail. Note in particular, point 3.

I mean for crying out loud women in America had to wait until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974—nearly 200 years after America’s founding—before they were afforded the right to basic financial access. Marital rape wasn’t criminalized until 1993. I could have given a more detailed response by pointing out that misogyny and patriarchy are global phenomenons, that not a single nation on Earth treats women with equality, and that the United States is itself among the top 10 most dangerous nations on Earth for women. Indeed, if the only time you care about women’s rights is when other nations are abusive to women, then it isn’t women’s rights you care about.

In my work as an attorney supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, I’ve represented women of the Islamic faith, as well as of the Christian faith, Jewish faith, Hindu faith, and women of no faith. This is why it is critical that all men of all faiths and backgrounds stand united to stop men from being abusive towards women. That is how we stop this scourge—not by demonizing any one faith or racial demographic.

Returning to the topic at hand, the beauty of our country is that it is a government built on the separation of religion and state. We are not a Christian nation, Muslim nation, Jewish nation, Sikh nation, or atheist nation. We are a United States built on a secular government that mandates equal justice for all. Such a government affords each of us to believe, or not believe, without government oppression and interference. That is what true freedom of conscience entails.

Indeed, we must recognize that one goal of Project 2025 is to transform our secular government into a Christian theocracy. You can read my summary and assessment of this fascist plan here. It is no surprise, therefore, that Oklahoma is now also mandating Bible study in its public schools. This trend will likely continue unabated under our right wing MAGA Supreme Court. And this is why we cannot sit silent, but must stay active and demand accountability. We do this by investing our time and resources to elevate the people doing the work to build that more compassionate and just future. You have my promise to always speak up for justice above all else, period.

In closing, let me reemphasize my appreciation to each of you for supporting my work and advocacy. Whether you subscribe for free or at $5/mo, $50/year, or the singular Founding Member at $500/year—your support to keep building is critical.

Are you in?

P.S. In the next episode of Hate Mail of the Weak, I’ll share what happens when you answer a MAGAs complaints about “Spanish and Middle Eastern speaking people conquering a Columbus suburb.” (Yes that’s an actual quote).

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