Muslims have taken to Twitter to helpfully “report stuff”, following Donald Trump’s response to a question in the second presidential debate about combating rising Islamophobia.
Gorbah Hamed, an undecided Muslim voter from Missouri, had asked Trump and Hillary Clinton what they would do to “help people like me deal with the consequences of being labelled a threat to the country”.
Trump agreed that Islamophobia existed: “And that’s a shame.”
But, he added, “whether we like it or not, there is a problem” with Islamic extremism.
His proposed solution was that Muslims should “come in and report when they see something going on”.
Moustafa Bayoumi, a writer and associate professor of English at Brooklyn College at the City University of New York, joked on Twitter that he was Muslim – “and I would like to report a crazy man threatening a woman on a stage in Missouri”.
I'm a Muslim, and I would like to report a crazy man threatening a woman on a stage in Missouri. #debate
— Moustafa Bayoumi (@BayoumiMoustafa) October 10, 2016
Bayoumi published a book, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America, in 2008 that traced the experiences of young Arab-Americans navigating life in the US after 9/11.
Bayoumi’s tweet went viral, sparking the hashtag #MuslimsReportStuff as Muslim Twitter users acted on Trump’s suggestion – several referencing the Republican candidate himself.
Hey! I'd like to report a guy who talks in locker rooms about women private parts and links it to ISIS #MuslimReportStuff #debate
— Dana alkharrat (@DanaAlkharrat) October 10, 2016
"Yes, sir. Yes, he said that he wanted to grab her by the..." #MuslimsReportStuff
— Sailor Mer(Kaye)ry (@gildedspine) October 10, 2016
Hi, I'm Muslim & want 2 report a man in St. Louis butchering English by stringing adjectives & passing them as sentences #MuslimsReportStuff
— Muna Ali (@munamali) October 10, 2016
I am bullied and harassed by Trump supporters EVERY DAY. #MuslimsReportStuff
— Amelia Noor-Oshiro (@Amelia_Inc) October 10, 2016
I'd like to report that we don't know more about terrorism because we're Muslim, and just as clueless as everyone else 🙄 #MuslimsReportStuff
— Nader (@BonsaiSky) October 10, 2016
Others took the opportunity for a joke.
#MuslimsReportStuff Gremlins 2 is the rare sequel that completely deconstructs the franchise. For my money, it's better than the first.
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) October 10, 2016
I think my sister drank orange juice straight out of the carton, will continue to investigate #MuslimsReportStuff
— basith (@MrCommonCents) October 10, 2016
I'd like to report that everything tastes better with sriracha. Seriously. #MuslimsReportStuff
— Shehab Chowdhury (@Shehabchow) October 10, 2016
You don't want to know what we actually put in hummus. #MuslimsReportStuff
— Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan) October 10, 2016
#muslimsreportstuff My mother uses store-bought filo pastry for her samoosas every single year.
— Yaseen Kader (@ysnkdr) October 10, 2016
One time I accidentally ate pancetta bc I didn't know it was bacon. It was delicious 😳 #MuslimsReportStuff
— Nuha Krad (@kradiologist) October 10, 2016
My husband's name is ... wait for it......MOHAMED. #MuslimsReportStuff.
— ⚡️ Tahmina Ansari ⚡️ (@TahminaAnsari) October 10, 2016
Trump had backed up the importance of Muslims reporting “hatred” and suspected terrorist activity with a reference to a mass shooting in California last December.
Trump has repeatedly and baselessly said people saw bombs and “suspicious behaviour” before the San Bernardino shooting.
During the debate, he said “many people saw the bombs all over the apartment” of Syed Rizwan Farook, a US citizen, and his wife Tashfeen Malik, a permanent resident, before they massacred 14 people at a holiday party.
“Muslims have to report the problems when they see them, and there’s always a reason for everything – if they don’t do that, it’s a very difficult situation for our country,” he said.
Of the temporary ban on Muslims entering the US he has previously proposed, Trump said it was now called “extreme vetting”.
Twitter didn’t let that pass without comment, either.
Emily Nussbaum, the New Yorker’s television critic, defined it as “like heavy petting, but heavier”.
EXTREME VETTING #debate pic.twitter.com/O1fcDymnWz
— Eli Matthewson (@EliMatthewson) October 10, 2016
"it's called Extreme Vetting" — Donald Trump announcing his next reality show
— Super Natural Psycho (@snpsnpsnp) October 10, 2016
the only thing that needs "extreme vetting" is Donald's nasal cavity
— Kylie Brakeman (@sexypitabread) October 10, 2016
