Muslim reporter describes being ridiculed at the Texas GOP convention

Heba Said, a senior at the University of Texas at Arlington, is the opinion editor of the school paper, The Shorthorn. The 22-year-old said she applied for media credentials and attended the convention hoping to share with her readers what it was like to sit in on panel discussions with delegates.

Instead, Said writes, "I discovered a cult-like hatred that is simply disgusting." From her report:

    As I walked through the halls, people stopped in their tracks and frowned and shook their heads at me. Panelists threw the word "Islamist" around as if it were perfectly OK, and one man even asked if I felt alone at a meeting. I was referred to as "you people" and "y'all Muslims" more times than I can count. The worst part was the way delegates looked at me, as if I were something to fear when I approached them.

Tea party star Ted Cruz made an appearance and snapped pictures with supporters. Said wanted to capture a few photos of the U.S. senator from Texas as well, but instead she had to worry about being profiled by police.

    I found five police officers behind me, hands on holsters watching me intently. Armed with a press badge and an iPhone, I turned to them held up my media credentials and asked if I could help them with something, as my heart tried to escape my chest. They did not respond but broke up into groups of two and continued watching me. If I was the biggest threat at that convention, then I must be seriously underestimating myself.

During a session on ways the GOP can bolster efforts to reach religious minority groups, Said finally spoke up and asked about their interest in Muslim voters.

    After discussing with one candidate whether there were Muslim outreach plans, I almost didn't feel like I was allowed to be American, as if what he said stripped me from my American identity. He asked me where I was from. When I responded, "Texas," he asked me where I was really from, as if there were no way it could possibly be from Texas.

"On my mom's side I'm thirteenth generation American," she told Yahoo News.


http://news.yahoo.com/muslim-reporter-claims-she-was-ridiculed-at-the-texas-republican-convention-213308817.html