Muslim Americans have turned to Twitter to show images of their own neighborhoods and daily lives with the hashtag #MuslimNeighborhood. These images are a respponse to US Presidential candidate Ted Cruz's suggestion to increase national security by patrolling Muslim communities in the US.

After the recent terrorist attacks in Brussels, US Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz released an official statement, calling for police to “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.” Cruz also said to "immediately halt the flow of refugees from countries with a significant al Qaida or ISIS presence."

Cruz's rival and front-runner for the Republican Party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump, praised and supported Cruz's plan as a "good idea" in a CNN interview.

Since Cruz’s statement, both Muslims and non-Muslims have taken to social media to show people just what Muslim neighborhoods are really like (Spoiler alert: they look like any other neighborhood.)


People mentioned the food and family activities they take part in.

Some directly addressed Ted Cruz and Donald Trump in their comments.


More than one billion people in the world practice Islam. That’s 23 percent of the global population. The actions and ideology of Islamic extremists should never be considered reflective of the Muslim population as a whole. This point has been repeatedly emphasized by US President Barack Obama and leaders in the Muslim American community.

There is no difference between a “Muslim” neighborhood and an “American” neighborhood. And that's what Twitter users are trying to make clear to Ted Cruz and Donald Trump through #MuslimNeighborhood.

Digests

Demand Equity

#MuslimNeigborhood is the perfect response to Ted Cruz’s call for patrols

By Megha Cherian