While marking 20 years since the September 11th attacks, on Wednesday, MSNBC decided it was a good time to remind viewers how racist America has supposedly been toward Muslim citizens since that horrific day. In two separate segments, the left-wing cable channel claimed “intense Islamophobia and fear” has plagued the nation for the past two decades, after the heinous act of terrorism “triggered an onslaught of anti-Muslim sentiment.”
“The lives of millions of Americans changed overnight after the attacks on September 11th, 20 years ago this week,” anchor Hallie Jackson solemnly noted during her 10:00 a.m. ET hour show. She then added: “For Muslim Americans, not only did they have to deal with an attack on their own country, which in some cases meant the loss of family and friends, but also with the rise of Islamophobia that followed.”
Turning to fellow anchor Yasmin Vossoughian, Jackson touted how her colleague “sat down with a diverse group of Muslim Americans to reflect on all of this.” Vossoughian wailed that “for Muslim Americans, it was about that day, Hallie, and the intense Islamophobia and fear and scrutiny for these individuals that came after.”
The reporter talked to a panel of six Muslim Americans, many of whom were longtime left-wing activists. They included Kameelah Rashad, on the board of directors for the Muslim Wellness Foundation, a social justice organization. Also featured was Council on American-Islamic Relations vice chair Zead Ramadan, a former Democratic candidate for New York City Council. Current NBC News field producer Andrew Bossone helped fill out the panel.
After a portion of the discussion played, Vossoughian told Jackson:
Hallie, we talked about Islamophobia that has increased over the last 20 years. I asked them point-blank if they feel like Islamophobia has increased, they all said yes. And they feel like it is important for their stories to be told, to talk about what is happening. And with the spawn of the Black Lives Matter movement, they feel as if this is a pivotal moment in history, right, in which they can change the track, right. They can have these conversations and they can start to heal and eradicate Islamophobia in this country.
Bringing Vossoughian on again in the 3:00 p.m. ET hour, anchor Ayman Mohyeldin proclaimed: “For American Muslims, 9/11 brought the same loss felt by every American, but it also triggered an onslaught of anti-Muslim sentiment that has only risen in the decades since.”
As evidence of his wild assertion, he cited a poll: “In 2002, just 25% of Americans believed Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence. Now that number is at 50%, according to Pew research.” Mohyeldin concluded that people simply agreeing with the notion that Islam has a more violent reputation than other world religions in the modern era was proof of American bigotry.
Vossoughian again recounted her panel discussion: “It really was a turning point for so many people across this country and across the world….But for these American Muslims, they had a very different experience in that they’re safety and security in their own communities, the questioning of who they were and what they stood for were coming into question in this country with the rise of Islamophobia…”
Later in the segment, she eagerly saw an opportunity to use their experiences to advance a far-left agenda:
But the positive in all of this they feel as if this is a real turning point in our country – reckoning I should say – not only with the debate over the teachings of Critical Race Theory in schools but with the rising up of the Black Lives Matter movement, they feel as if people are actually starting to speak out against things like racism and Islamophobia to have more change in this country ahead. But it’s going to take folks like those six Muslim Americans that I spoke to, in sharing their stories, right, their fears and their triumphs, to get to that next level.
Sadly, this abysmal MSNBC coverage was just the latest chapter in 20 years of unhinged media leftists using the 9/11 attacks to bash America.
Vossoughian’s Wednesday morning effort to turn the September 11th anniversary into denunciation of Ameircan “Islamophobia” was brought to viewers by Angi and her afternoon appearance was brought to viewers by Progressive. You can fight back by letting these advertisers know what you think of them sponsoring such content.
Here is a full transcript of the September 8 segment on Hallie Jackson Reports:
10:56 AM ET
HALLIE JACKSON: The lives of millions of Americans changed overnight after the attacks on September 11th, 20 years ago this week. For Muslim Americans, not only did they have to deal with an attack on their own country, which in some cases meant the loss of family and friends, but also with the rise of Islamophobia that followed. MSNBC anchor Yasmin Vossoughian sat down with a diverse group of Muslim Americans to reflect on all of this. Hey Yasmin, it’s good to be with you, good morning.
YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN: Hi, Hallie, good morning. You know, you said it, right? 9/11 fundamentally changed the lives of people all around this world. But for Muslim Americans, it was about that day, Hallie, and the intense Islamophobia and fear and scrutiny for these individuals that came after. And I sat down with them yesterday to speak to them about their experiences on that day and what followed. Let’s listen.
ADAMA BAH [IMMIGRATION REFORM ADVOCATE]: I was only 13, I did not understand. Because we were always taught that this is not Islam and, you know, we’re supposed to give, we’re supposed to help. And then you’re telling me someone from the same faith as me did this.
KAMEELAH RASHAD [MUSLIM WELLNESS FOUNDATION PRESIDENT]: I remember thinking I should go home and just feeling, like, fear.
MARYUM SAIFEE [U.S. DIPLOMAT]: My dad had a big bumper sticker, “Don’t mess with Texas,” you know, to sort of prove our American-ness or our Texan-ness, our credentials.
ZEAD RAMADAN [COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS, VICE CHAIR]: My wife goes down to Ground Zero for the next several days.
VOSSOUGHIAN: Wow.
RAMADAN: And sets up the first triage centers and the first pharmacies. Somebody said to her – a fellow Arab – said to her, “I’d cover my name if I was you.” And she said, “No, I’m very proud of what I am. I serve my nation and I serve my city.”
DEBBIE ALMONTASER [BRIDGING CULTURES GROUP CEO]: My son, Yousef, my eldest, was actually a first responder, he was in the U.S. Army. And as a national guardsman, he was deployed the very next morning to Ground Zero and was a first responder there for six months. And people higher up than him saw the looks and the stares that he was getting and they gave him permission to actually put his ID in his pocket.
VOSSOUGHIAN: I mean one of the things that you try and teach your children, right, is to be prideful of who they are and where they come from, especially knowing that they’ll be facing adversity.
ALMONTASER: He suffers with mental health illness. You know, people who are first responders and who are directly there, you know, I feel like my child lost his innocence at Ground Zero.
VOSSOUGHIAN: Hallie, we talked about Islamophobia that has increased over the last 20 years. I asked them point-blank if they feel like Islamophobia has increased, they all said yes. And they feel like it is important for their stories to be told, to talk about what is happening. And with the spawn of the Black Lives Matter movement, they feel as if this is a pivotal moment in history, right, in which they can change the track, right. They can have these conversations and they can start to heal and eradicate Islamophobia in this country. But they have to be speaking about – about their stories along with so many others despite the fact that they feel as if so many people don’t want to necessarily hear them. It was honest and it was emotional and it was incredible to hear their voices yesterday.
JACSKON: And incredibly important, Yasmin, I’m glad you brought it to our show. Thank you so much for that and for your reporting. Yasmin Vossoughian, we appreciate it.
Here is a full transcript of the segment on Ayman Mohyeldin Reports:
3:29 PM ET
YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN: Who has experienced Islamophobia since 9/11? [panel of American Muslims all raise their hands]
AYMAN MOHYELDIN: Alright, those American Muslims are not alone in their experience. For American Muslims, 9/11 brought the same loss felt by every American, but it also triggered an onslaught of anti-Muslim sentiment that has only risen in the decades since. In 2002, just 25% of Americans believed Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence. Now that number is at 50%, according to Pew research.
Joining me now is my good friend and MSNBC anchor Yasmin Vossoughian, who sat down with a panel of American Muslims to reflect on the last 20 years. So quite a conversation, Yasmin. What did you learn from this panel and what did they have to tell you about their experiences?
YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN: Ayman, it was actually such an emotional conversation. A couple of the panelists actually, you know, tearing up during it, kind of recounting the moments on 9/11 and how their lives changed so dramatically after that. It really was a turning point for so many people across this country and across the world for so many different reasons. Obviously being so tragic, the downfall of the towers and the lives lost there. But for these American Muslims, they had a very different experience in that they’re safety and security in their own communities, the questioning of who they were and what they stood for were coming into question in this country with the rise of Islamophobia because of the Twin Towers and the loss there. So I wanted to sit down with them and have a frank conversation about that. Let’s listen.
KAMEELAH RASHAD [MUSLIM WELLNESS FOUNDATION PRESIDENT]: I remember thinking I should go home and just feeling, like, fear.
ZEAD RAMADAN [COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS, VICE CHAIR]: My wife goes down to Ground Zero for the next several days.
VOSSOUGHIAN: Wow.
RAMADAN: And sets up the first triage centers and the first pharmacies. Somebody said to her – a fellow Arab – said to her, “I’d cover my name if I was you.”
ANDREW BOSSONE [NBC NEWS FIELD PRODUCER]: At one point a guidance counselor said to my face, “We don’t want your kind here, you have to leave.” And I was there to ask whether I should in AP chemistry.
MARYUM SAIFEE [U.S. DIPLOMAT]: We were throwing a birthday party for my brother and my father, who’s in his 70s, was assaulted by his neighbor, punched in the face. And called, you know, “You look like you’re from ISIS.”
DEBBIE ALMONTASER [BRIDGING CULTURES GROUP CEO]: When people looked at me, they looked at the Hijab before they looked at anything. Having people question that, “Really, your son is a national guardsmen?” And then to be a part of a family that has eight family members who are in the military.
RASHAD: They see the way we look, they see the way we dress, and they often want an apology.
VOSSOUGHIAN: Each of them had a really personal experience, Ayman, and it was astounding to me that they felt as if people didn’t want to hear their stories, right. They didn’t want to hear their stories of what they have felt since 9/11, as if it was inappropriate to share them, right. As if it was inappropriate to even be them or believe the way that they believe.
But the positive in all of this they feel as if this is a real turning point in our country – reckoning I should say – not only with the debate over the teachings of Critical Race Theory in schools but with the rising up of the Black Lives Matter movement, they feel as if people are actually starting to speak out against things like racism and Islamophobia to have more change in this country ahead. But it’s going to take folks like those six Muslim Americans that I spoke to, in sharing their stories, right, their fears and their triumphs, to get to that next level.
MOHYELDIN: Yeah, a very important conversation oftentimes forgotten as we reflect back on these 20 years. Yasmin Vossoughian, thank you so much for putting a spotlight on that.
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