In a heartfelt post that is sure to be buried under a tidal wave of xenophobia and requests to play Candy Crush, Mark Zuckerberg offered his “support of Muslims in our community and around the world” and declared that Facebook is a “safe environment” for Muslims.
In a slightly saner world, this post would be just as useless as most everything else that is on Facebook, but considering the bubbling hatred, fear, and general insanity surrounding Muslims in the United States and the rest of the world, Zuck’s words feel especially important. Essential even. Because as Donald Trump continues his rapid descent from cartoon villainy into actual f*cking villainy with his proposed “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” other voices must speak up to challenge this intolerance.
Unfortunately, few voices are louder than Donald Trump’s at the moment (nothing amplifies a message quite so well as hate) but hopefully people (both right and left and everywhere else on the political spectrum) will follow the example of Mark Zuckerberg, and Russell Simmons, and even John Cena to spark a rallying cry of tolerance and acceptance and sanity.
Mark’s full post is available here, or can be read below.
I want to add my voice in support of Muslims in our community and around the world.
After the Paris attacks and hate this week, I can only imagine the fear Muslims feel that they will be persecuted for the actions of others.
As a jew, my parents taught me that we must stand up against attacks on all communities. Even if an attack isn’t against you today, in time attacks on freedom for anyone will hurt everyone.
If you’re a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you.
Having a child has given us so much hope, but the hate of some can make it easy to succumb to cynicism. We must not lose hope. As long as we stand together and see the good in each other, we can build a better world for all people.
