The Detroit Free Press on Wednesday reacted to the country’s increasing state of Islamophobia with a front-page editorial condemning Republican politicians, including presidential candidate Donald Trump and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, whose policies perpetuate anti-Muslim bigotry.
The editorial, headlined “WE STAND TOGETHER,” criticized the base built up by the “so-called establishment Republicans” in the past 50 years.
“Trump’s soaring support reveals harsh truths about the party base that so-called establishment Republicans have built, with fear and bigotry and xenophobia, with the notion that a fictitious, former America should be our ideal — ignoring the reality of life for women and minorities during that golden age — and most harmfully, by perpetuating the idea that success for others, particularly non-white, non-Christian, non-heterosexual, non-male others, means they will lose,” the editorial read. “It’s a false equation, but one that has given Republican candidates significant traction among some demographies.”
The newspaper’s editorial board then narrowed its critique to Snyder’s “press pause” strategy for resettling Syrian refugees in Michigan.
“Snyder’s rhetoric is more measured than Trump’s, but it is rooted in the same tacit endorsement of bigotry that says any Muslim could be a threat,” the editorial board wrote. “Both men legitimize hatred with their words, to dangerous effect.”
For the Free Press and the Detroit metro area, the editorial board wrote, the stakes were much higher as southeastern Michigan is “home to more Middle East immigrants than any other part of the country.”
Muslims and Arab Americans “aren’t some unknown people in our town,” Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly told the newspaper. “(Arab-Americans) are so much the fabric of who we are. … They’re teachers, they’re the police force, they’re no different from anyone else here.”
Read the full editorial here and view the front page below:
Obviously Trump hasn’t gone too far with his base, but I’m wondering if the Republican base has finally gone too far for the rest of the public. I have to say, I’m feeling a little pride at how many have stood up for the Muslims in our country. It’s a real start.
Agreed. I also think that Hillary’s focus has rightly begun to shift slightly, in an effort to bring in Republicans who can no longer stand their own candidates.
While I’m at it… besides Reagan, Republicans don’t generally like their presidents. Maybe Gerald Ford was an exception, but they never bring him up in any significant way. But Nixon is persona non grata, Bush 41 was voted out after raising taxes (which helped Clinton’s economy), and Bush 43 was a spendthrift. That leaves Reagan, but as someone here said I think, in today’s GOP, Reagan would sound like Voltaire.
I hope the Freep’s example will give other media sources the courage to repeat its very accurate assessment and righteous criticism of today’s republican party.
We have to stop the garbage, hatred and bigotry and show the world that these people do NOT represent America’s ideals.
I’m so ashamed of these people.
And I just made the mistake of reading comments. Thick-headed, ignorant numbskulls abound. Oy.
MUsLIMs literally TERRORIZed POLACks in Hamtramck by making them MOVE to CreatE SHARIa Michigan town. The “FREE” press has Probably BEEN infiltrated by radical Islamic terrorists.
Last night, Rachel Maddow pointed out how the rest of the GOP crowd was just barely better than Trump and largely saying the same things as him even now they’re “outraged” by his statements.