The establishment media takes for granted that there is a rise of “anti-Muslim activity” in the US, and this story is one of many that assume that, but it’s necessary to call out the lie whenever possible anyway. There are no examples given of the “marked increase in anti-Muslim activity,” and FBI figures show that hate crimes against Jews are much more common than hate crimes against Muslims. But Muslim groups and Leftist groups in the US both find it useful to claim that Muslims are experiencing a wave of discrimination, harassment, and persecution in the US. This claim helps them demonize Trump and his attempt to limit immigration from jihadi hotspots, and to cast counterterror efforts in general in a bad light, because, you see, they create “hate” against Muslims. Just stay quiet and you’ll be okay.
“As anti-Islam activity rises, campaign aims to boost voter turnout among Muslim-Americans,” by Aaron Schrank, Southern California Public Radio, August 27, 2018:
More than 100 people gathered at the Middle Ground Muslim Center in Upland Friday as part of National Muslim Voter Registration Day, a campaign that aims to boost Muslim-American turnout in the November midterm elections.
The day of registration is part of a broader effort to increase civic engagement among Muslims and follows in the wake of a marked increase in anti-Muslim activity, coinciding with President Trump’s campaign and post-election rhetoric and terrorist events in the U.S. and abroad.
After a traditional call to prayer, Marc Manley, the Muslim center imam and religious director, issued a call to action, urging local Muslims to vote their values.
“That should absolutely be part of our civic engagement,” Manley said. “And if we want society to be better, than we need to participate ourselves.”
About 4 in 10 Muslim-Americans said they voted in 2016, according to the Pew Research Center, compared to the estimated 58 percent of all eligible voters who went to the polls that year. But Muslim candidates are running for public office in record numbers this year, and Trump policies like the so-called Muslim travel ban have spurred more political engagement among Muslim voters.
The ban prohibits most travel from several Muslim-majority countries. The administration cites national security for the restrictions, but many Muslims view it as a move against their religion.
“That definitely had major implications into the public psyche of Muslims,” said Ishraq Ali, organizing director with MPower Change, a Muslim social justice advocacy group. “Given the administration’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, we’ve seen a kind of uptick.”…