Speak Out Today | A Message from Eboo Patel

Dear Friends,

I have become increasingly concerned about the continued rise in anti-Muslim bigotry seen in recent headlines – from the violence in New York to the planned Qur’an burnings in Florida.

Intolerance of our neighbors weakens the bonds of a diverse nation. Intolerance is not the problem of any one group – it’s a problem for all of America.

As I told Mary Snow on CNN’s The Situation Room, I have not felt this fearful in a long time. A mother came up to me at my Muslim house of worship earlier this week and said to me, “Eboo, when will my 8 and 10 year old sons stop being bullied on the playground because of their names, Ahmed and Akhbar?” And what I said to her is, “very soon,” because the forces of inclusion in America have always defeated the forces of intolerance, and they will defeat the forces of intolerance again.

We need to speak out and show that America is a place where people from different backgrounds live together in equal dignity and mutual loyalty.

The time to act is now. See 3 easy ways below and tell us what you do. As always, thank you for your leadership in this movement.

Best,
Eboo