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islamophobia

It's no secret that it's a difficult time to be Muslim in the United States.

Take for example the rising rates of anti-Muslim hate crimes. Or the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the Muslim ban. Or the misguided "anti-Sharia" marches that descend upon U.S. cities several times a year. Or the time when President Trump told CNN that he believes "Islam hates us."

As a result, a lot of Muslims feel as if they're treated as outsiders or enemies of the state.

But believe it or not, Islam has been a part of the U.S. since its founding.

Few people know that the first nation to recognize America's independence from Great Britain was a Muslim country.

In 1777, Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah — the Muslim ruler of Morocco — wrote a letter to Benjamin Franklin, the U.S. minister to France at the time. The letter let Franklin know that the newly formed country was welcome to use Morocco's trade ports at any time. This made Morocco the first country to seek diplomatic relations with and formally recognize our independence.

And that was just the beginning of a long friendship with Morocco.

A few months after George Washington was inaugurated as our first president, he wrote a letter to ben Abdallah expressing his desire to establish a friendship between the two countries. As a new nation, the U.S. had great difficulty accessing ports in the North African region without coming across pirates and rival ships, and the sultan offered protection and also to spread the good word about the U.S. to neighboring North African countries.

A few years later in 1786, the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship was signed by ben Abdallah, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, among other American diplomats. Today, it's still considered the longest standing unbroken treaty between the United States and any other country.

But as we celebrate the U.S.'s 242nd birthday, let's not forget that Muslims still contribute to American society in modern times, too.

On July 4, a non-profit research group in Washington, D.C. called the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) released their "Muslims for American Progress" report, which features notable Muslim-American figures and their contributions to this country.

Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images.

Here's a selection of Muslim contributions highlighted by the ISPU report:

1. Muslims contribute 33% more than the national average in charitable donations.

While just under 769,000 Muslims live in New York City, they donated more than $608 million to charity in 2016. But it's not just money, either — these Muslims also donated about 124,370 pounds in food and 5,500 backpacks in 2017.

2. Muslims have been essential to economic growth and job creation.

In 2016, there were 95,816 Muslim-owned small businesses in NYC, employing a total of at least 251,864 people. Furthermore, Muslim households in the city contributed to approximately $17 billion in consumer spending.

3. Muslim medical professionals contribute a lot to the community.

According to the report, 9.7% of all doctors in NYC are Muslim. In addition to health care providers, Muslim lab technicians and other medical professionals facilitate 6.4 million patient appointments.

But more importantly, a lot of these health care professionals work to serve homeless populations and underprivileged and low-income communities.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

It's vital now more than ever to use facts like these — as well as the stories behind them — to challenge anti-Muslim stereotypes.

The ISPU compiled the report in response to the alarming fact that more than 80% of media coverage on Muslims and Islam is negative. The context in which Muslims are depicted in U.S. media often fixates almost entirely on terrorism and national security. But that's not an accurate portrait of the Muslim community at all.

"In New York City alone we found Muslims at the forefront of the economy, philanthropy, education, accessible healthcare, STEM, groundbreaking arts, etc," Elisabeth Becker, the report's NYC principal investigator, says via email. But most Americans lack an understanding of this Muslim diversity because they get most of their portrayals through entertainment and media. That's what the ISPU hopes to change.

"We believe that combing quantified data and human stories on these impacts provides a much deeper lens into the realities of Muslim life," says Becker. "In so doing, we can begin to chip away at stereotypes and undermine dominant narratives that erroneously equate Muslims with threat."

Some strides have lately been made to portray Muslims more accurately in media and entertainment.

A lot of celebrity figures like Sarah Silverman and Gigi Hadid have been using their platforms to speak against Islamophobia. Hollywood has been working hard to include Muslim actors or diverse and relatable people like "The Daily Show's" Hasan Minhaj or "The Bold Type's" Adena El Amin.

As Muslim representation in media increases, and as groups like the ISPU work hard to change perception of the Muslim community, we can expect that non-Muslim Americans' understanding of their Muslim neighbors will continue to grow.

Fortunately, for now, the future is looking bright.

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It is a sad week for religious liberty.

On Tuesday, June 26, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision upheld President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban nationals from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, North Korea, and Venezuela from entering the U.S.

In his opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the president has the right to bar entry to aliens to prevent any harm to the country’s national security. He also asserted the ban does not target, or discriminate, based on religion or race, and it just so happens to be coincidental that six of the countries banned are of a Muslim-majority.

But make no mistake: The “travel ban” is a Muslim ban.

Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images.

This shouldn't come as a surprise as the president himself has a long history of making disparaging anti-Muslim remarks under the guise of protecting national security.

And justices, politicians, celebrities, and American citizens are using their platforms to call the ban what it is: religious discrimination.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented that it is clearly evident that Trump’s ban was driven by his Islamophobic beliefs.

“Taking all the relevant evidence together, a reasonable observer would conclude that the proclamation was driven primarily by anti-Muslim animus, rather than by the government’s asserted national-security justifications,” Sotomayor wrote.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, also refers to this immigration policy as a “Muslim ban. “I call it a Muslim ban, because Trump called it a Muslim ban.”

Several other public officials joined Ellison’s sentiments and in his word choice. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) also expressed disappointment in the SCOTUS ruling.

The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert used humor to point out SCOTUS’ obliviousness.

SCOTUS failed to honestly, justly address Trump's Islamophobia.

It not only goes against true American values, but it diminishes the detrimental conditions this policy puts on people.

Referring to this policy as a “travel ban” merely suggests that the country are just barring tourists from entering the country. This ban is stripping families apart, in some cases, leaving relatives stranded in homes destroyed by airstrikes, or sometimes, to die in countries ravaged by war. And as the evidence shows, most of these countries are devastated by wars and armed conflict the U.S. has either initiated or been involved in.

Words matter. And even if SCOTUS will allow it, American won't let this slide.

Of the 3.3 million Muslims in the United States, 21% are converts to Islam.

And of those approximately 693,000 converts, one of them hopes to be the U.S.’s first Muslim senator.

Deedra Abboud has faced Islamophobic attacks since she first announced her plan to run against Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake in 2017. Abboud says that while people throughout the state have been largely supportive, many questions she receives are about her faith rather than her proposed policies.

Abboud documents these interactions in the hopes of clearing up misconceptions about Muslim Americans.

All images courtesy of Deedra Abboud, used with permission.

Abboud says there are some questions regarding her beliefs that come up regularly.

In many cases, people are asking out of genuine confusion or an eagerness to learn more.

Here are answers to five common questions people ask Muslim Americans. Abboud hopes that speaking to these might help more people understand her faith — and the religion of many Americans — better.

1. “Why Islam?”

“The first thing I was told was that they [Muslims] were all going to hell because they didn’t believe in Jesus,” says Abboud, talking about what she was taught growing up in Arkansas. “Then when I went to university I saw a Middle Eastern exchange student so I was always trying to convert them to Christianity.”

Abboud remembers the Muslim students being patient with her. They explained their beliefs in a way she could understand. This led to her studying Islam extensively and her decision to ultimately convert when she moved to Arizona in 1998.

2. “How did people react to your conversion to Islam?”

“My mother was actually very supportive,” Abboud explains, adding that since she had studying Islam for years before converting, it wasn’t a surprise to most people close to her.

Her transition in the workplace, however, took time.

Abboud says that she would get ready for work in the mornings, remove her hijab (headscarf) in the parking lot when she got to work, then put it back on when she left for the day.

“The reason why I disclosed it was because I heard someone saying, ‘You know, Muslims want to kill all Americans,’” she says.

Islamaphobia is not new in America, and Abboud’s action is just one example of what Muslim Americans are doing every day to avoid persecution.

3. “Do you feel your decision to wear the hijab contradicts your stance as a feminist?”

“If a woman is forced to wear a piece of clothing, it’s oppression,” she explains, “and forcing a woman to wear something or forcing a woman to not wear something are equal on the oppression scale.”

Abboud continues:

4. “But isn’t Islam oppressive to women?”

Abboud is quick to point out that oppression of women happens everywhere, regardless of religion. Her faith is not what mistreats or limits women — it’s other people who use faith as an excuse for their behavior.

“My dad beat my mom, and when she went to the church, they told her to be a better wife,” she says. “When she went to her dad, he told her to be a better wife. When she went to the police, they said be a better wife.”

Abboud explains that while there are some cultures in predominantly Muslim areas that are oppressive to women, many Muslim countries have elected women as their prime minister or president, including Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey. (Can you say the same about the U.S.?)

5. “You worked for CAIR — isn’t that a terrorist organization?”

CAIR, or the Council on American-Islam Relations, is a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group that formed in 1994 as a reaction to negative depictions of Muslims in the media. Despite its status as a nonprofit, critics have accused CAIR of being a terrorist organization affiliated with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

“I just don’t understand,” Abboud says. “If it’s supposedly a terrorist organization, how it does it continue to have nonprofit status in several states and has survived every administration for the last almost 30 years?”

Abboud started the Arizona chapter of CAIR in 2001, shortly before 9/11.

Traveling for her campaign gives Abboud the chance to clear up misconceptions about Islam, but she’s happy when voters just want to talk about the issues.

“Most people actually do want to talk about things that matter,” she says, “you know, like not dying from poor health care, protecting the internet, basic freedom issues — things [that] actually affect their lives,” she says.

It’s a great shift and is evidence progress is being made, even if slowly.

With their small acts of kindness, people from all around the world are coming together today to make one important point: Only love can drive out hate.

In response to an anonymous letter circulated all over East London dubbing April 3 “Punish A Muslim Day,” thousands of people are shutting out Islamophobia with their own acts of love online and in-person toward the Muslim community.

Another letter designating April 3 as “Love A Muslim Day” went viral for encouraging people to engage with the Muslim community through a game point system. For example, smiling at a Muslim earns 10 points, inviting a Muslim to your home will get 100 points, and participating in a fundraiser for those in need in Muslim-majority regions is worth 1,000 points.

This initiative is in direct response to the earlier vile, xenophobic letter that gamified anti-Muslim violence.

According to the “Punish A Muslim Day” letter, in order to win “points,” non-Muslims would have to engage in activities like verbally abusing a Muslim or ripping off a woman’s headscarf. In addition to “nuking Mecca,” it also encouraged people to plan acid attacks and to torture them through skinning or electrocution — and to even murder Muslims.

In the United Kingdom, rallies and events were held all over the nation to stand in solidarity with their Muslim community members. Some volunteers also manned #ProtectAMuslimDay hotlines so that Muslims feeling unsafe or those who witness suspicious Islamophobic behavior could call for help or assistance. And in northeast England, a human chain was formed around the Newcastle Central Mosque.

Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images.

The show of support for Muslims is going beyond the U.K. and into the great World Wide Web.

In the United States, Hate Hurts — a special project from the Arizona chapter for the Council of American Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group — is providing information and resources on how allies can help their Muslim friends. They are encouraging allies to be active bystanders and take part in bystander intervention trainings.

On Twitter, the hashtag #LoveAMuslimDay also went viral, with people using the hashtag to send messages of love and support.

Bob Bland, the co-founder and co-chair of the Women’s March, encouraged followers to stand with Muslims and paid tribute to the Muslim activists that taught so much “about empathy and solidarity.”

The official Women’s March account tweeted a comic on how to safely and effectively intervene as a bystander when an Islamophobic event occurs:

Others used their tweets to acknowledge how Muslim neighbors and Muslim community leaders have stood up for causes other than their own:

Non-Muslims are also tweeting about their experiences of living in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods and/or having Muslim friends:

Some Muslims are using Twitter to show they have no fear and that they take pride — unapologetically — in their religious identity and history.

And some Muslims are doing that with humor: another great weapon against hate.

Tan France wasn't supposed to be a TV star.

But as of publication, the fashion designer has over 183,000 Instagram followers and a number of giddy, straight husbands asking to take his photo to show their wives at his local grocery store in Utah. "I can't walk the street without somebody stopping me," he explains earnestly, still surprised that complete strangers would recognize him. (Maybe it's the hair?)‌‌‌‌

‌Photo by Paige Soviet.‌

France, who'd never held a job in the entertainment world before, says he was reluctant to audition for "Queer Eye," a Netflix reboot based off the original Bravo series, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," that's become an overnight cultural phenomenon since premiering in early February.

But France went to the audition anyway. And now he's a member of the show's Fab Five — the stylish, sincere queer guys who bombard their "heroes'" homes and make over their closets, diets, and, really, entire existences in just a few days.

‌Photo courtesy of Netflix.‌

The reason France ended up taking the offer, he says, had nothing to do with fame or fortune. It was the series' shooting location, of all things, that sealed the deal.

Unlike the original, the new "Queer Eye" found its heroes to "make better" in deep red, rural Georgia. For France — a British-Muslim immigrant to the U.S. with Pakistani roots — the opportunity to build bridges and befriend straight, southern Republicans was an opportunity he simply couldn't pass up.

I sat down with France to chat about the first season of "Queer Eye," what it's like representing gay Muslims on the world stage, and which member of the Fab Five he secretly loves best.

I'm so happy to talk to you. I went through season one of "Queer Eye" so quickly.‌‌‌‌

The response has been out of this world!‌‌‌‌

How so? ‌‌‌‌

I don't know if you know, but I'm the only one who hasn't ever worked in the entertainment industry before. I never had any desire to do so. I had to be convinced to go audition for this show. So for me, it's been really shocking. I receive, on average, a thousand DMs a day.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah. It's insane. It's lovely, lovely, and I'm very grateful, but it's insane. And then not really being able to go out of the house as much anymore, unless I'm either really dressed up or have a hat and shades on — that's been a major adjustment.

That's wild. And for many Americans, you're either the first or one of the first gay Muslims they've ever seen on TV. What's that been like for you?

I just am unapologetically myself, so it wasn't something I was really cognizant of until people really started asking about it the past few weeks. And so I've been like, oh shit, maybe I should be paying more attention to that [laughs]. People all over the world have been reaching out and saying, "I've never seen a version of myself on TV." And that's really powerful.

How comfortable are you taking on that role?

I don't feel uncomfortable because I am who I am, and I don't make any apologies for it. That's the case for all of [the Fab Five].

But I've never seen myself as any kind of role model or trailblazer, and I still don't. I don't like that kind of responsibility because I don't expect that people should live their lives a certain way because someone else lives their life a certain way. However, I do love giving exposure to a community that really hasn't had the representation it needs.

As a Muslim, how did it feel helping Cory in episode three? He was a big Trump supporter. Was helping guys like him something you considered before heading to Georgia to shoot?

It was something I thought about a lot before accepting the offer. And actually, it was the reason I took the show.

If the show had been filmed in New York or L.A., I don't think it would have been as enticing for me. [The original "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"] was wonderful for its time. It moved the gay community forward and it gave us exposure we never had before. However, I didn't want just the original version back. I wanted it to be more [representative] of how we've progressed as a community.

So having the opportunity to work with a bunch of Republican people [in the South] was the most enticing part of this job for me. It wasn't about making them "pretty" — that's secondary. My job on the show is making sure I'm having very open, blunt conversations with people without hiding who I am.

Unfortunately, some of the conversations didn't make it [into the episodes]. Like, Cory and I had a very lengthy conversation in the car about Trump and the fact he doesn't love gays or immigrants, and I represent both of those things. [Trump's] made some derogatory comments about the Middle East, and again, I represent that.

Photo by Paige Soviet.

I read that Tom had at one point suggested you were a "terrorist"? But then he ended up giving you a yellow rose?

He sure did. You've seen the full [first] episode ... right?

Yes.

So I had a driving scene in the car with Tom that didn't make it [into the final cut], where we're shooting the shit — just talking about everything while I was driving — and then it came up in conversation that I am Middle Eastern. He hadn't realized I was Middle Eastern. So his first question was, "You're not a terrorist, are you?"

Wow.

Yeah. That was really important for me to be able to address that in a certain way where he didn't feel like he couldn't ask that question — and I told him he can't ask that question again.

There's a way of asking questions to find out what you're wanting to find out without being so offensive. There's a certain level of tact that's required [pauses, laughs] ...

Sorry, what was the rest of your question?

I asked about the yellow rose.

Oh, right, yes! Sorry, sometimes I go off on a tangent and I don't remember where I was going! So we had a really open conversation and he actually asked that question [about being a "terrorist"].

We ended up becoming really close. I love Tom. By the end of the week before I left, when the cameras weren't around, he came over and said, "I got a rose for you, which is yellow — the color of friendship. And I want you to know that I wasn't trying to be offensive by the question I asked. Now I understand you."

He said, "I want to have these conversations with other people. I love knowing that now I have a Middle Eastern friend, an immigrant friend, a liberal friend, that I never thought I would have had."

Oh my gosh.

I know!

Tom was definitely one of my favorites. I also loved A.J. too.

I loved A.J. I mean, it helped that he was really attractive [laughs]. But he was such a sweetheart.

That's awesome. Well, those scenes with Tom sound so powerful. I wish I'd gotten to see them.

You know, here's the thing: We're not trying to make a political show. I guess we make political statements by the nature of who we are. But I think [the yellow rose scene with Tom] would have been way too heavy. Baby steps.

Sometimes, subtlety can make the show accessible for a lot of people who may not have tuned in otherwise.

Exactly. And they can make their own assumptions. We don't necessarily have to ram anything down their throats.

Photo by Paige Soviet.

So how about some fun questions?

Yeah!

I know the Fab Five are all close with one another. But who do you get along with the best?

OK, I will actually be honest with you. I love them all. When we're together, we have the best time. I don't know if you follow my Instagram or if you don't —

I do.

I mentioned in a post that people seem to have really responded well to in my Instagram story: Antoni sat on my lap, and I [said], "It doesn't matter how many chairs there are in a room, my lap is always Antoni's seat." And that's true. It doesn't matter what's going on, if there are a lot of people around us, we are always so affectionate. We love each other very much.

There are differences between some of [the Fab Five] because, for example, some of the boys like to go experience the night life and go to bars and clubs. And me and Antoni, neither of us drink alcohol. So it made it so much more organic for us to build a bond quickly, because when those guys are out going to bars and clubs, Antoni and I were cooking in each other's apartments and watching "The Great British Baking Show."

I now go on vacations with his family. We basically married the same person [laughs], so they get along really well. We're all very, very close, but me and Antoni formed a bond like no other.

That's amazing. Can we talk about Antoni for a second?

Everyone wants to talk to me about Antoni! You love him, I know. [laughs]

I do! But he seems to be the most controversial Fab Five member. Is he just the talentless eye candy on the show, like some people have said?

OK, wait, Robbie, let me tell you this. Because you are now the third person in the last couple days who've asked me this.

All I get all day is DMs from people saying, "Oh my gosh, Antoni won't reply to my DMs; can you tell him that I love him?" I'm like, "OK, get a grip, everybody. He's not just a piece of meat [laughs]!"

Maybe I am jaded because we're so close, but I see him as the heart of the show. Truly. He's got a way of connecting with our heroes — that's what we call the clients we help — he has a way of connecting with heroes like none of us can. He's so truly genuine.

And look, people can have their own opinions with what he does with food. But in the first episode where he made Tom guacamole, he actually made a full meal. But we've only got time to show one thing! He's actually an amazing chef. He cooked for me almost every night because our apartments [when we were shooting on location] were right next door to each other.

For the record, I'm pro-Antoni.

Good! Honestly, no joke, he's probably the best person I've met in my entire life. Like, he's an angel sent down from heaven.

Photo by Paige Soviet.

So, I'm already craving season two. Any news?

OK, here's the thing. Netflix doesn't tell us anything [laughs]. All we can say is, we hope it's doing well. Instagram's fucking blown up, so I assume that's a good indication of how the show's doing.

It seems like it's doing great, but I don't know if I'm just being trapped in my own gay bubble.

[laughs] You know what's funny though? In Utah [where France lives], they have a very high Mormon population. And when I'm out in the grocery store, one of my favorite things in the world to do is go to the grocery store. For a British person, coming to America and seeing the ridiculous abundance in a grocery store is fascinating.

And every time I'm there now — at least three or four times — I'll get stopped by a man who I assume is straight and wants to take a picture with me to show his wife and kids. It's always straight men! It's always straight men.

That's so funny!

I know, I love it.

That about covers my questions, Tan. Is there anything you want to add?

I'd love to go back to the relationship thing with the other boys, because you're the only one who's asked who I am closest with.

Of course.

I am the closest with Antoni, but I never expected that my colleagues and I would become my best friends. Of course, every now and then there's going to [be a fight]. Actually, I like that we argue every now and then, because it's usually about the hero and what we want to do that episode — we have those kinds of arguments. And that makes for a better show.

But on the whole, [the show creators] chose five people who could be, and thankfully are, the closest of friends. And I think that's why the show works so well.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

6 eye-opening, hilarious comics about life as a Muslim woman in Texas.

Huda Fahmy had a story inside her that desperately needed to get out.

And yeah, it was a good one.

A Detroit native now living in Texas, Fahmy is a devout Muslim. She thought about writing a book about her life, but after several rejection letters, her sister advised her to go in another direction — web comics.

"I’ve loved comics since I was eight years old, so it felt like such a natural segue, from writing my stories to illustrating them, that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought to do it earlier," she explains via email.

[rebelmouse-image 19533430 dam="1" original_size="750x736" caption="All images by Huda Fahmy for "Yes I'm Hot In This."" expand=1]All images by Huda Fahmy for "Yes I'm Hot In This."

Her comic, "Yes I'm Hot In This," captures the funny and frustrating experience of being a Muslim woman who wears a hijab.

While many of her comics come straight from her life, she also writes her main character into situations friends have shared with her and draws inspiration from current events. Through telling these stories, particularly in this format, Fahmy hopes to start a conversation and help people connect across different backgrounds.

"My comics are not without controversy, even among the Muslim community, but it was very important, from the beginning, that I create a safe space to share thoughts, find common ground, and even express opposing points of view in a respectful and light-hearted manner," she says. "If anything, the more I grow, the more I see that we really are just trying to relate to one another. It gives me a lot of hope."

Her comics and interactions with readers offer a bit of hope, something Fahmy herself has needed since the 2016 election.

The rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric and attacks since the election of Trump make Fahmy fearful and anxious, but she does her best not to let it stop her or her family from living their lives.

"'Is today the day someone tries to snatch my hijab?' 'Is today the day I get told to go back to where I came from?' 'For God’s sake, when I walk into a store, I always make sure to know where the exits are, and I find myself subconsciously looking at things as potential weapons I could use to defend myself in case I’m attacked. This is my reality."

But with that fear comes anger and frustration, particularly at the president and anyone else who second guesses the patriotism of Muslim Americans.

"The fact that he can stand in front of MY flag and spew his disgusting, filthy hate makes me ill. So, this year more than any other year past, I am determined to get my stories out," says. "Whether my stories are written or drawn, I am going to share what makes ME an American."

So far, the response to Fahmy's comic has been overwhelmingly positive.

In May, she celebrated her thousandth Instagram follower. Today, just seven months later, she has more than 85,000.

They're people of different backgrounds, coming together to laugh, learn, and connect with each other. It gives Fahmy hope that things won't always be so scary.

"The overwhelming response has been incredibly positive and uplifting," she says. "The DMs I receive the most are ones from followers thanking me for dispelling harmful beliefs they once held."

Breaking down barriers, making connections, and sharing a good laugh? That's one amazing story.

Riz Ahmed performed a moving spoken-word song in response to Charlottesville.

The powerful performance of 'Sour Times' drew a roaring applause.

"It seems that we’re living in really, really divided times, and it really hurts," said rapper, actor, and activist Riz Ahmed on "The Tonight Show."

Just days after a white supremacist killed a protester at a Charlottesville, Virginia, march, the "Rogue One" star found himself seated next to Jimmy Fallon discussing his latest TV, film, and music projects. After a few minutes of standard talk show banter, the conversation turned serious, and Ahmed brought up a song he wrote a while ago, that he hoped would never be relevant.

[rebelmouse-image 19532426 dam="1" original_size="450x253" caption="GIFs from "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon"/YouTube." expand=1]GIFs from "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon"/YouTube.

"I wrote this piece 10 years ago. Every year, I keep hoping it’ll become irrelevant, but it seems to become more and more relevant, sadly," he told Fallon. "It’s my attempt to try and get behind the headlines and work out where all this extremism is coming from."

Then he asked for a microphone and walked to the middle of the stage.

Ahmed performed a phenomenal, heartfelt, powerful spoken-word rendition of "Sour Times" for the audience.

If there's a message we need to hear right now, this is it. If you have a spare four minutes, do yourself a favor and watch the video. If not, the lyrics are printed in full at the bottom of this story.

Our goal, like Ahmed says, should be to better understand where extremism comes from. Islamophobia, bigotry, and xenophobia aren't the answer, and if anything, they might actually just make things worse. To root out extremism, we need to understand its cause, "what makes them turn to arms," as Ahmed says. Placing blanket blame on Muslims is a cop-out.

The situation is a lot more complex than that, and until we can respond to it in a smart, thoughtful, and nuanced way, things will only get worse.

"Sour Times" by Riz Ahmed, as performed on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon":