I was raised an Indian Muslim in a small suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Like many, I have faced ignorant racism. At age 7, a woman and her elderly mother shouted at my and my mother, “Go back to your own fucking country.” Even then I knew she needed medication. At age 25, I was in San Francisco when 9/11 happened and similar yelling and harassment became a common occurence in my life. I do not shy away from hatred. I stare it down. In my lifetime, I never thought I would witness my President addressing the 1 billion Muslims in the world. But it has happened. And I feel heard.

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