“Terrorists.”

That’s the only word that flowed through my mind. I forgot about walking cautiously in high heels and my anticipation for my favorite Persian food. I no longer pondered upon all the great speakers or the helpless women whom I was there to raise money for. All I could think about were the American flag-waving and hateful-poster-holding protesters who were held back by barricades and policemen, calling me a terrorist.

Sunday, Feb. 13, started off like any other night. My family and I, dressed in
traditional Indian clothes and headscarves, packed into the car and started off to a fundraiser dinner in Yorba Linda. The fundraiser was hosted by ICNA Relief, an American Muslim Relief organization, and was dedicated towards raising money for women’s shelters and to help hunger and homelessness in the United States.

But as soon as we showed up at the dinner, we knew that something was wrong. There were hundreds of protestors gathered around the Yorba Linda Community Center waving American flags. They shouted things like, “We don’t want you here” and “Never forget 9/11.” My mother was frightened; my father was not surprised; me and my siblings, were shocked. The whole setting was surreal. It was as if being Muslim in America was a crime.

The protest was sponsored by groups such as a Local Tea Party Group called We Surround Them OC 912, the North OC Conservative Coalition, and another organization called ACT! For America.

In addition to these groups, many elected officials spoke at the protest. Although they had spoken before we arrived to the dinner, there is footage of their speeches on cair.com, YouTube, and Facebook.

Deborah Pauly, Villa Park council woman said, “I don’t even care if you think I’m crazy anymore. I have a beautiful daughter. I have a wonderful 19-year-old son who’s a United States Marine. As a matter of fact, I know quite a few Marines who will be very happy to help these terrorists to an early meeting of paradise.”

Pauly’s statement, which was followed by laughter from her audience, is appalling. As a city councilwoman and an elected representative of the residents of Yorba Linda, one would think that Pauly would be less ignorant.

According to religioustolerance. org, there are 1.57 billion Muslims in the world and by this statement, she has called all 1.57 billion of them terrorists. Pauly has, in effect, given a death threat to Muslims across the globe, to all the Muslim attendees, and to my family.

Calling this event a “protest” is a misnomer. By the First Amendment, we all know that Americans have the right to protest and the freedom of speech. But what happened on Feb. 13 showed some of the ugliest display of bigotry and racism I have ever seen.

This was a family event. It was meant to raise money for a noble cause. Nobody was planning a terrorist attack or a hate crime-we were raising money to help people in the United States. But instead, we were called “pedophiles,” “terrorists,” and told to “eat sand.”
Men were asked if they “too” beat up their wives and if they were molesting and marrying nine-year-olds. Women were told that they deserved to be beaten. My sister and I were told that “Jesus could save [our] lives.”

None of these actions reflect the ideals of America. We all know that America was “patriotic Americans” yet did not exemplify any of these traits. They wore red, white, and blue and waved American flags but all that came out of their mouths was hate.

Meanwhile, the Muslim attendees who calmly accepted the hateful words and moved quietly to their destination reflected one American value that these protestors were severely lacking: tolerance.

How much bigotry should we tolerate? It is time that Muslims like me and all of my fellow honest Americans step up and take a stand against prejudice.

Americans boast of living in the Land of the Free. But when events like this occur only a couple of miles away from our homes, there is something wrong.

Everyone says that they are open-minded and willing to accept our differences, but after witnessing these protests first-hand, being told that Jesus can “save” my life, and watching that horrendous video numerous times, I know for a fact that some Americans are more racist, judgmental, and ignorant than ever before.