Any Muslim Would Have Done
Hate, ironically, does not discriminate
📡 On my Radar
The two teenagers who murdered worshippers at the Islamic Center of San Diego two weeks ago had never met Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, or Nader Awad. They did not care who was inside.
They picked the building.
And that is what separates a hate crime from the rest.
Most murders are about a person. Money, a grudge, jealousy, somebody specific in the way. A hate crime runs the opposite direction. The victim is interchangeable. Any Muslim inside would have done. The man bleeding on the ground is the medium. The message goes out to everyone who shares his face or his faith: you are next, so stay home.
So why give hate crimes a category of their own? Isn’t all violence hateful?
Hate crimes are built to frighten thousands - not just the immediate victims. This is what makes them different. In their indiscriminateness hate crimes are no different from acts of terror.
And like terrorism, hate crimes have a wider intent - they are meant to influence a group of people to retreat, change their lives, abandon their country or their home.
Yet, ironically, as hateful as they are - in their effects, hate crimes are remarkably egalitarian. We all have a race. We all have a religion, or the lack of one. The ICSD shooters left behind writing that hated in every direction, and praised the terrorists behind the Christchurch mosque (resulted in the death of 51 Muslims in New Zealand) and the Pulse nightclub shooting (an attack that killed members of the LGBT community in Florida).
If hate can be egalitarian, why can’t we? When they come for the mosque, the synagogue is there. When they come for the synagogue, the mosque is. Hate has never beaten people who refuse to leave each other alone.
📈 By the Numbers
👊🏽 Make a Difference
9 jobs | 1 fellowship
JOB | My friends at WildCard Creative are looking for a freelance part-time Community Manager with entertainment experience to support upcoming projects.
JOB | Travis Moore shares a Government Affairs role at Convergent Research, a funder working to bring new scientific institutions into the world.
FELLOWSHIP | George Aye shares the Countercurrent Collective fellowship, a multi-year initiative to disrupt harmful narratives and reshape where public opinion is formed.
JOB | Team Rubicon is hiring a Senior Associate, Mission Support (Planning) focused on situation and geospatial analysis.
JOB | Ky Nam Miller shares that MTC-ABAG is hiring in their modeling unit for someone passionate about data-driven planning and shaping the next generation of travel and land use models for the Bay Area.
JOB | Fellow TNP Board Member Candice Wood shares an Events Manager role at MemorialCare Long Beach for someone passionate about creating meaningful experiences that inspire philanthropy and support community health and well-being.
JOB | ASU’s COO is hiring an Associate Director, Strategic Operations & Executive Initiatives to support executive leadership, advance high-impact initiatives, and help shape the future of one of the most innovative universities in the country.
FELLOWSHIP | Building College Success is looking for a passionate, student-centered College Success Fellow to support college students from South Los Angeles as they navigate their postsecondary journeys.
JOB | ASU Enterprise Partners is looking for a Chief People Officer.
🤓 This is Your Next
Steve Jobs in Exile, by Geoffrey Cain