Video Campaign Urges U.S. to "See Something, Say Something" About Anti-Islam Bigotry

Impact

A new video campaign seeks to turn the "see something, say something" mantra on its head

Released by progressive nonprofit People For the American Way this week, the 49-second advertisement urges viewers to "pledge that when I see anti-Muslim bigotry, I'll call it out and make clear that religious discrimination has never been the American way."

The video features several staged examples of suggested interventions, all of which challenge hateful rhetoric about Arabs and Muslims.

"Anti-Islam bigotry doesn't just fly in the face of fundamental American values, it leads to real violence against Muslim-Americans and immigrants," PFAW President Michael Keegan said in a statement on the group's web site. "Every one of us has a responsibility to speak up against bigotry, and our campaign calls on Americans to pledge to do just that."

At a time when the tide of public opinion is turning against them, U.S. Muslims would probably appreciate the goodwill.

Both front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination, real estate billionaire Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have endorsed harsh measures against Muslims in the wake of Islamic State terror attacks in Europe and the the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. ideologically linked to the group. Trump has called for a ban on all Muslim entry to the country, while Cruz recently said the U.S. should "empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized."

Polling has shown widespread anti-Islam sentiments across the country. One poll, taken in North Carolina in late 2015, found 40% of Republican voters believe the religion should be illegal to practice in the United States.