Shakira has penned an essay opposing Donald Trump’s Muslim-banning executive order.
In the essay that ran in Time, the Colombian pop star and noted anti-Trump advocate said she felt compelled to speak out “because this is not just a U.S. issue. This is a human issue that has implications for all of us; American and non-American citizens like myself.”
“Persecution against any group for religious beliefs or race is illegal and unconstitutional in the U.S. Period,” she continued.
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer warned that U.S. citizens should not allow themselves to give in to fears about people of other faiths. Echoing the sentiments of the famous poem “First they came…”, she warned that a ban on Muslims could merely be the beginning of a campaign of hatred.
“We have to be vigilant about letting bigotry and hatred creep into the mainstream or be rationalized under the guise of ‘protecting our people,’ she wrote. “If we accept blanket targeting towards Muslims, we can all be sure that other minority groups won’t be far behind, whether it’s by closing borders to other supposed “dangerous” groups or trampling their human rights in other ways.”
Shakira ended the essay with a call to continue resisting bigotry wherever people may find it. “Let’s keep tipping the scales in favor of ‘liberty and justice for all,’ keep using our voices to lift up others and speak out for those whose voices have been stripped from them,” she said. “Keep up the good fight and never back down.”
Read the entire essay at Time.
