Dear Future President,

The United States of America has grown a lot in the past few years, but there are still many problems that must be addressed in order to have a successful country. These problems may develop and will have to be addressed during your presidency. The president may not “control” the country, but they have a large influence on the decisions this country makes. One of these problems that needs to be addressed is Islamophobia.

People of the Islamic faith have been discriminated against for a long time, but more so since the horrific event of September 11th. Ever since ISIS came into the picture, America’s fear of the Islamic faith has increased drastically. There is a child that goes to my old elementary school, and just because he looks like he’s Muslim, the other kids make fun of and bully him. Muslim children all around the United States are being bullied, homes and properties are being vandalized with racial slurs, and rallies are taking place around Muslim areas like Mosques. There is no place of worship that should be vandalized in the way that the Mosques are because the first amendment states that the people of the United States have the freedom of speech and religion. The United States is a country of immigrants, so why is only one group being discriminated against?

Although the news greatly influences peoples’ opinions on the Islamic faith, politicians have a drastic influence on our views as well. Presidential candidate Donald Trump has warranted for the “complete and total shutdown” of the Muslims who are entering America because he claims that “Islam hates the United States and will destroy us.” He has also stated that he is planning on shutting down Mosques just because he deemed them “excessive.” This also does not stand by the first amendment. Trump or any other politician cannot personally make the decision that one mosque is more excessive or unnecessary than the other. If people are going to expect the United States to change for the better, we need to be able to accept all races and religions.

People around the globe have used the United States as an example of the “ideal country,” but how can our country be ideal when people of the Islam faith are being deemed dangerous terrorists? We can’t say that our country has freedom of religion because we don’t, and we all know this is true. If citizens are constantly seeing the news and politicians stating that Islam cannot be trusted, then they are not going to trust them. It is that easy for someone to be influenced. If this continues to happen, who knows which race or religion we will ostracize next.

Sincerely,

Concerned Citizen