Has anyone posted this link yet? Because holy heck...

[WOT?*]

It's a powerful narrative of being Muslim in a Midwestern state. The first in his town. Before and after Trump. Trying to understand his neighbors, and getting them to understand him.
Thanks to spunbutterfly for posting it on FB where I saw it.

www.washingtonpost.com/national/in-a-midwestern-town-that-went-for-trump-a-muslim-doctor-tries-to-understand-his-neighbors/2017/07/01/0ada50c4-5c48-11e7-9fc6-c7ef4bc58d13_story.html?tid=sm_fb&utm_term=.0d947eb3c280

[mrspez07]

Wow, that was powerful.
I hate that he feels obligated to speak up, but I also think that without people like him speaking up in red areas nothing is going to change.

[isabel]

Thank you for sharing.

[bugandbibs]

I'm really glad that people like Dr. Virji are here in our country. I wish we had more like him and fewer people like 45.

This was a really powerful read.

[mrsukyankee]

Just shared this on FB. It's powerful.

[5hole]

That had me in tears this morning.

[MrsAxilla]

Great article. Thanks for sharing. I thought it ended on a hopeful note; the way the third town reacted to his speech was unexpected

[raangoli]

A friend posted this last night. It broke my heart when his daughter saw him trying on the vest before going to the third lecture.

It's a powerful reminder that we are all human with feelings and that we should always respect one another. But that point seems to be lost on so many.

[StrawberryBlondie]

My hometown is much larger, but about 2 hours away from this town. Let's just say nothing surprised me.

[WOT?*]

Cleveland has a pretty substantial Muslim community. I moved a couple years after 9/11 and after this election I just have to wonder how much more insular the community must have become. They were already pretty self-contained (at least the group I knew was very involved in its own community more so than the community that surrounded them) but I can imagine how much electing someone like Trump, especially in the state Ohio has become politically, must have hurt them.

[estrellita]

"Nearly all of Minnesota outside the Twin Cities had voted for Trump, a surprising turn in a state known for producing some of the Democratic Party’s most progressive leaders, including the nation’s first Muslim congressman."

I just had to comment that this is not that surprising to me as someone that lives in another rural-ish city in the same state. I don't feel like I belong here as a more liberal leaning person, and the Muslim population around here gets blamed for everything. There is a lot of hate and I can't imagine what they go through. It's horrible

[Saudade]

This is very close to where I live. I have so many thoughts and comments but I am on my phone and can't type it all

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jul 2, 2017 17:54:33 GMT -5 estrellita said:

"Nearly all of Minnesota outside the Twin Cities had voted for Trump, a surprising turn in a state known for producing some of the Democratic Party’s most progressive leaders, including the nation’s first Muslim congressman."

I just had to comment that this is not that surprising to me as someone that lives in another rural-ish city in the same state. I don't feel like I belong here as a more liberal leaning person, and the Muslim population around here gets blamed for everything. There is a lot of hate and I can't imagine what they go through. It's horrible

Also: it's not really new that the twin cities & Duluth went blue and basically the rest of the state went red. That happens every year.

[picksthemusic]

I read that this morning... so heartbreaking. I was slightly optimistic for the responses to his last speech... But OMG that this is real life.

[Saudade]

Jul 2, 2017 19:11:07 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Jul 2, 2017 17:54:33 GMT -5 estrellita said:

"Nearly all of Minnesota outside the Twin Cities had voted for Trump, a surprising turn in a state known for producing some of the Democratic Party’s most progressive leaders, including the nation’s first Muslim congressman."

I just had to comment that this is not that surprising to me as someone that lives in another rural-ish city in the same state. I don't feel like I belong here as a more liberal leaning person, and the Muslim population around here gets blamed for everything. There is a lot of hate and I can't imagine what they go through. It's horrible

Also: it's not really new that the twin cities & Duluth went blue and basically the rest of the state went red. That happens every year.

@estrellita plus the amount of population in the TC/Duluth is so much greater than the outstate area. Large land, small # people. But it does suck living out here.

[tessalb]

Gut wrenching. TFS.

[wise_rita]

Jul 2, 2017 19:11:07 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Jul 2, 2017 17:54:33 GMT -5 estrellita said:

"Nearly all of Minnesota outside the Twin Cities had voted for Trump, a surprising turn in a state known for producing some of the Democratic Party’s most progressive leaders, including the nation’s first Muslim congressman."

I just had to comment that this is not that surprising to me as someone that lives in another rural-ish city in the same state. I don't feel like I belong here as a more liberal leaning person, and the Muslim population around here gets blamed for everything. There is a lot of hate and I can't imagine what they go through. It's horrible

Also: it's not really new that the twin cities & Duluth went blue and basically the rest of the state went red. That happens every year.

Yet Franken and Klocuchar are pretty safe in the Senate, right?

And Dayton before them.

[simpsongal]

Really good piece. God bless that man for having the courage to speak out and educate people. It's nice that the pastor in the article arranged the talk. BUT I am generally so angry at the clergy and the religious right in confronting & correcting the ignorance, xenophobia, misinformation, etc. pertaining to Islam in this country. You don't have to dig deep to realize your congregation is woefully misinformed on these issues. There's a duty to correct what's going on in this country, particularly in a post-Trump era.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jul 3, 2017 8:11:43 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Jul 2, 2017 19:11:07 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Also: it's not really new that the twin cities & Duluth went blue and basically the rest of the state went red. That happens every year.

Yet Franken and Klocuchar are pretty safe in the Senate, right?

And Dayton before them.

Franken isn't up till 2020, but I think Klobuchar is fairly safe in 2018. Both won their last elections pretty comfortably.