“One guy was saying, ‘Get out! Do you have a bomb?’ And I said, ‘No – do you have a bomb?’”
In the footsteps of the First Lady of Civil Rights Rosa Parks now walks another Rose – Rose Hamid, who has just been forcibly removed from a Donald Trump rally after standing in silent (peaceful!) protest at his statement that Syrian refugees are associated with ISIS. Just days ago, presidential hopeful Trump called for Muslims to be barred from entering the United States.
Rose couldn’t have been clearer about her message. She was wearing a hijab and a shirt that read “Salam, I come in peace” – and standing right behind Donald Trump. As he started speaking about Syrian refugees and ISIS, she stood up – and a burly police officer came and escorted her out, as the audience booed.
It was then that she made her sublime response to the man who thought she was being removed as she had a bomb with her. It was immediately after The Muslim Threat (Rose, the woman in a hijab) had been removed that Donald trumped his previous ignorant comment, responding to the incident by telling the audience: “There is hatred against us that is unbelievable. It’s their hatred, it’s not our hatred.”
After her removal, Rose spoke to CNN News about what had just happened. She explained how she was particularly struck by how the audience changed – friendly to her while they were all waiting for Trump to arrive, but highly hostile when she was being taken out. She attributed the change to what Trump was saying, which turned ordinary folk from friendly strangers into a baying mob.
It turns out Ms Hamid, president of Muslim Women of the Carolinas, is no stranger to peaceful campaigning for greater community understanding. She used to work as a flight attendant – and it was something of a challenge to go to work in her hajib the day after 9/11. Back in 2009, she told online travel magazine Worldhum how her airline employer first barred her from working face to face with the public. Things have come full circle since then: when they were revamping airline uniform recently, the company asked Rose for her advice on how to include a hijab uniform option.
Where Rosa Parks made history by sitting down, Rose Hamid has made history by standing up. The next time Rose Hamid, in her hijab, stands up, we must see non-Muslim women, not wearing hijabs, stand up with her. When we do see that, we shall know that we really have made a breakthrough.
•To hear Rose Hamid talking about the Trump rally, go to: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/08/politics/donald-trump-muslim-woman-protesting-ejected/
•To read Rose Hamid’s interview with Worldhum, go to: http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-interviews/interview-with-rose-hamid-the-life-of-a-muslim-flight-attendant-20090716/
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