MR. Trump, I am writing to you from Saudi Arabia — a country thousands of miles away from the United States. I am a Muslim, who wishes to have a few words with you.
First of all, your election as the next president of the US does not really matter to me. It is up to the Americans to decide and deal with the consequences.
Keeping in view the important position you are eyeing, I would like to urge you not to further ruin our world. Please don’t put the future of this world in jeopardy.
Whenever the mankind collectively start thinking about a culture based on globalization, mutual respect and understanding, somebody like you emerges from nowhere and pull the world back into the darkness of bigotry, discrimination and prejudice. You and your likes want others to live amid fears and suspicions. We don’t want our future generations to inherit such a world.
I have grown up admiring a lot of aspects of the American culture — Hollywood movies, American music, the lifestyle where hard work and fun go hand in hand, dedication to science and discoveries, and above all, its culture of openness and tolerance toward those who are different. I have to admit that a lot of things have changed over time but you are trying to make it even worse.
By making generalizations about Muslims, you are not serving the interests of mankind. I want to assure you that we do not despise you, your people or your country. I am confidently writing on behalf of most of the Muslims. I know that we, Muslims, don’t hate any country or people.
We might have different views on some political issues, different cultural backgrounds than yours, but we surely do not wish you any harm. Contrary to what you may believe, according to many of your speeches, Islam as a great faith is one thing and those using it to justify their crimes against humanity is a totally other thing.
A political leader aspiring to become the president of one of the greatest nations in the world should be able to understand the difference between the views of a handful of people and the majority.
I have fellow citizens studying in your country. They chose the US because they believed that they would be welcomed and given the best education the world could offer. I have fellow brothers and sisters in faith who are living in your country, some of them are immigrants and some are Americans exactly like you. They always think of America as the land of the free — a country where they can practice their faith without the fear of being monitored and discriminated against.
We do not want to live in a world where the ideology of isolation, bigotry and revived discrimination and racism becomes the norm. We do not want to live in a world where those who are with us and similar to us are loved and welcomed, and those who are different are hated and discriminated against.
Your country has always been a close ally of my beloved country. Our people have always been business partners and good friends and I hope this would continue. When I visited the US for the first time, I enjoyed every second of it. Americans welcomed me wherever I went. They were eager to know more about my culture and me. And if one day one of my kids ever decided to visit your country, I would really love them to have the same experience.
