Editor:

Thank you, Edmonds Lutheran Church for hosting Faith Over Fear Roadshow. The gathering was well attended by Lynnwood public officials including the mayor, police, several local clergy and citizens of Lynnwood, Shoreline, Everett and Edmonds.

Three significant take-a-ways for me:

– I did not realize how prevalent the verbal and physical abuse was toward our Muslim neighbors. It is not just something happening “somewhere else.”

– How heartened the Muslim community has felt when they see banners on churches welcoming them as neighbors. Two mentioned in the Q&A were Seattle Plymouth UCC and Bellevue Congregational.

– And the quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., “It is not the rough words of one’s enemies that hurts, it is the silence of one’s friends.”

Each year the Islamophobia industry spends over $30 million  to make people afraid of Islam and American Muslims. The websites, YouTube videos, books, white papers, lobbying, and media stars of the Islamophobia industry turn the hearts and minds of people against one another, paving the way for a more divided, fearful future. We don’t have to live in that future. Together we can build a future based on our shared values and vision for America!

For more info and upcoming events: https://bit.ly/2zMgvpT

Kizzie Jones