Why President Obama must address anti-Muslim bigotry

Last week, I was among 14 American Muslims who met with President Barack Obama at the White House, where I delivered a handmade Valentine’s Day card from two California sisters, Sabrina and Saniya.

Sabrina, who is 10, told the President that she likes how he’s running the country, and that she plans to be an engineer or a basketball player when she grows up. She also wrote that she was worried about kids being mean to her because of her Muslim faith and asked for the President’s help amid the growing crisis of anti-Muslim hate.

This week, my heart sank as I read every parent’s worst nightmare in the news: Three bright-eyed young Americans had been brutally slain in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

As we carry the torch for Deah, Yusor and Razan and remember the great things they accomplished in their beautiful lives, let us also honor their memory by ensuring that young children such as Sabrina and Saniya are not targets of future hate crimes.

Let us assure tomorrow’s rising stars that they can grow up in a world where they don’t have to fear their fellow Americans.

Let us create a nation where Sabrina doesn’t feel the need to ask her President to protect her from hate.

CNN