TAKE ON HATE joined community members and leaders at a vigil March 11, 2016 at Wayne State University (Detroit, Mich.) to honor #‎OurThreeBrothers Mohamedtaha, Adam and Muhannad. 

By Asha Noor
Campaign to TAKE ON HATE
Advocacy and Civic Engagement Specialist (ACE)

Salaam, Peace and Blessings

What I write about today has weighed heavily on my heart and mind, and many others in our community: the tragic death of #OurThreeBrothers Mohamedtaha, Muhanad and Adam.

I want to first give my condolences to their families, friends and loved ones. Although I have no familial ties with these young brothers, I am deeply impacted by their death.

A Sudanese proverb that comes to mind is "a child is a child of everyone." Their mothers lost their sons in the most tragic way, and we as a community have lost our brothers. We are intertwined by our humanity, our religion, many of us by our similar plights as refugees and some of us because of our blackness. But ultimately those factors are not a precursor to feeling the loss of another human being. It should not be a precursor to whether or not we ask for justice. It should not be a determining factor of whether or not we criminalize and defame their name, or chose to honor them.

"With demographic anxiety and political rhetoric fueling discrimination and hostility, the Ford Foundation—together with the New York Community Trust, the New York Foundation, and Philanthropy New York—hosted a discussion on 'Confronting Islamophobia in America Today.' Leaders from the nonprofit, government, social service, and philanthropic sectors came together to discuss the major issues affecting these minority communities, and to strategize about how to advance inclusion."

Several members of the Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), a TAKE ON HATE field organizer, were invited to participate in the discussion. Check out the video below featuring Aber Kawas, AAANY Youth Organizer.

When we learn about liberation movements and the fight for freedom of the oppressed, we too often learn about men. But did you know that behind every movement there were fierce women activists that not only supported revolutions, but spearheaded global transformations? Learn about a few of them in our video below.

Join TAKE ON HATE, ACCESS, the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation and the The Social Justice League - UMD for a non-partisan Get Out the Vote Kickoff Rally today at 6 p.m. at the University of Michigan-Dearborn featuring Rashida Tlaib, Khaled Beydoun, and Angie Reyes, among many others! Your voice matters now, more than ever - let's get out the vote and #‎TAKEONHATE!

The Campaign to TAKE ON HATE is deeply saddened  by the horrendous murders of three young Sudanese Americans in Fort Wayne, IN. The three young men, aged 17 to 23, have been identified as Mohamedtaha Omar, Adam Mekki and Muhannad Tairab.

The families of these young men are devastated by the deaths of their beloved sons, brothers and cousins, and our community grieves with them for the tragic loss of #OurThreeBrothers. Their families left their country of origin during times of civil strife, in hopes for a safe haven—now they must bury their children in a home that was meant to bring peace and safety.

The Campaign to TAKE ON HATE is shocked that the U.S. military has published a resource describing hijab as a symbol of “passive terrorism.” This could not be further from the truth. Religious dress, such as the hijab, is a symbol of faith and has absolutely nothing to do with terrorism or extremism, which stem from twisted ideologies and not religious traditions. Implying such contributes to dangerous stereotypes and discrimination against Muslim Americans that goes against our country’s values. We call on the U.S. military to immediately revise this resource on countering violent extremism by removing such false and dangerously misleading statements. 

All last week, we shared stories that demonstrate how people across the country, and around the world, turn hate and violence into an opportunity to #‎TakeOnHateWithLove (find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

The rising fear, hate and discrimination that Muslim and Arab Americans face today make it challenging to have our voices heard. However, with public platforms like social media, we do have the chance to present our side of the story. We reached 60,000 people with the message to #TakeOnHateWithLove just with the stories we shared last week.

Islamophobia and xenophobia are not new phenomena. They have a long history in the U.S. and are rooted in a long-standing tradition of suspicion toward the “other.” The rising fear, hate and discrimination that Muslim and Arab Americans face today stems from a long and established American tradition of branding what is different as un-American and as a perceived threat (read more). During this political season alone, we’ve seen negative campaigning based on tactics that are anti-immigrant, -refugee, -Arab and -Muslim, and otherwise racist rhetoric that spreads hate.

Despite what may seem like a hopeless situation, there is action we can take to stand up to hate and present our own narrative. Starting today and continuing through Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day), we will share stories every day that demonstrate how people across the country, and around the world, turn hate and violence into an opportunity to #TakeOnHateWithLove. Find these stories on Facebook and Twitter.

Amid the water crisis in Flint, Mich., the Arab American Heritage Council (AAHC) has partnered with local churches, mosques, United Way, Red Cross and several other relief groups and donors to provide water and filters to residents city-wide.

Mona Sahouri, Executive Director of AAHC (member organization of the National Network for Arab American Comunities), said buying water could be a massive financial burden, even on middle class families.

Will you accept the Let Freedom Ring Challenge? Check out our video highlighting why the Campaign to TAKE ON HATE supports the ringing of the First Baptist Church bell today throughout Black History Month. The history of freedom and civil rights is embedded in the legacy of this Virginian church and its bell.