How to talk to a person who supports Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s proposal to screen all Muslims in the U.S. has drawn considerable backlash from liberals and conservatives alike. Journalists, bloggers, politicians, and religious leaders have condemned Trump’s plan and argued that it is inconsistent with core American values such as equality and religious freedom. They argue, rightly, that Trump’s comments are definitive proof that he shouldn’t be president. Really, he shouldn’t be anywhere near the presidency. He shouldn’t even be allowed to watch The West Wing.

This criticism is justified and necessary, but it is unlikely to be heard by those most drawn to Trump’s rhetoric. There is something valid about the frequent comparisons made between Trump’s (and others’) anti-Islamism and racist analogues like Nazi anti-Semitism or Japanese internment in mid-century America. But people who are wary of Islam will dismiss them as a misunderstanding of their concerns. 

Here’s why: Islam is not an ethnicity. It’s not a race. It’s not something you’re born with and stuck with for your whole life. We can argue about what a religion is, but Islam is at the very least a system of ethical commitments. Unlike being Japanese or being ethnically Jewish, being Muslim is a way of life that can voluntarily be adopted or abandoned.