During Thursday’s Republican debate, Fox News allowed a Bernie Sanders supporter to grill GOP candidates on anti-Islamic “hate” within the United States. In the YouTube portion of the debate, Nabela Noor, a fashion blogger, complained, “In 2015, the number of hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S. has tripled and on social media.”
She added, “This culture of hatred is only driving ISIS to radicalize, recruit and insight violence. As president, what would you do to address this toxic climate and promote increased tolerance in the United States?”
In a January 16 tweet, Noor endorsed, “I took this pic at the grocery store last night to send to @AndreasChoice ?? Who else feels the BERN? #Bernie2016.” The tweet includes a picture of Noor in a Bernie Sanders sweater.
As for the YouTube personality’s assertions about hate crimes, The Washington Post found that Jews were far likelier to be the subject of violence:
The 2014 Uniform Crime Report’s hate crimes data show that of the 6,727 hate crime incidents, 1,140 were victims of anti-religious hate crimes. Of those 1,140, 56.8 percent were victims of crimes motivated by anti-Jewish bias, and 16.1 percent were victims of anti-Muslim bias.
A transcript of the Fox News debate question:
01/28/16
10:45pm ET
NABELA NOOR: I'm Nabela Noor, I'm a Muslim-American born and raised in the U.S. who creates beauty and lifestyle videos on YouTube. In 2015, the number of hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S. has tripled and on social media where I've spent a lot of time, I've seen many attacks directed toward fellow Muslims. This culture of hatred is only driving ISIS to radicalize, recruit and insight violence. As president, what would you do to address this toxic climate and promote increased tolerance in the United States?
