Durban - A Facebook post by a US Muslim woman directed at US presidential candidate Donald Trump has gone viral.
Marwa Balkar, who lives in Los Angeles, California, took to Facebook on November 20, to air her unhappiness at the Republican presidential candidate’s statement that all Muslims living in the United States should wear an ID badge, and that certain mosques should be under surveillance.
Trump, at a rally in Alabama, added that the party will not be “playing games” and if he wins “they are going back, we can’t have them”.
Balkar, originally from Nalchik, Russia, penned a 200-word message to the business mogul which soon went viral. The message gained more than 160 000 shares and 1 337 comments (and counting).
The post was accompanied with a picture of Balkar, sporting a black T-shirt, scarf and a “peace badge”.
In the message, Balkar addresses “The Donald” directly: “Dear @realdonaldtrump, My name is Marwa, and I am a Muslim. I heard you wanted us to start wearing ID badges, so I decided to choose one for myself.”
Balkar went on to say that she is “not easily identifiable” as a Muslim “so my new badge will let me display proudly who I am”.
“I chose the peace sign because it represents my #Islam. The one that taught me to oppose #injustice and yearn for #unity. The one that taught me that killing one innocent life is equivalent to killing humanity,” she wrote.
Balkar listed her day-to-day activities in answer to Trump’s statement asserting that Muslims must be closely observed.
“I heard you want to track us as well. Great! You can come with me on my Cancer Awareness walks at the local middle school, or you can follow me to work where it's my job to create happiness.
“You can also see how my local mosque makes PB&J sandwiches for the homeless and hosts interfaith dinners where everyone is welcome.”
Balkar then challenged Trump to walk in her footsteps as a Muslim and an American.
“Maybe then you'll see that me being Muslim doesn't make me any less American than you are. Maybe if you walk in my footsteps, you can see that I am not any less human than you are. Salaamu alaikum #NOTINMYNAME #FightWithPeace”.
Balkar received numerous messages of praise for her bold statement:
Jared Hutto:@realDonaldTrump doesn't care about anyone but himself. He is not a Christian, he has said so himself, and an immoral person, Who wants to sit in the Oval Office like a king! But good for you for speaking out! God bless #MarwaBalkar”
Geri Smith: I struggle to find the words for how sad it makes me that some people fear that all Muslims are possible terrorists. Are all white people possible KKK or skinheads? How would it feel if this level of racism was directed toward you and your family because of the actions of the aforementioned groups?
Andrew Biffen: Didn't Hitler force human beings who didn't fit into his ideological views wear badges.Trump is one of many who don't take lessons from history.Where is the Nazi regime now?.They are confined to history,except for a small part of that lives in the minuscule minds of Trump and his entourage.
IOL Mojo
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