As Donald Trump questioned the motives of Syrian refugees at a Friday night rally, saying they “probably are ISIS,” a woman sitting in the stands of the sports arena behind him silently stood. She was wearing a white hijab and a blue T-shirt that read: “Salam, I come in peace.”
Trump kept speaking, but soon the crowd erupted, holding up their campaign signs and chanting: “Trump! Trump! Trump!” That was the formal signal for security to remove her from the rally — even though she stood quietly, not saying anything.
The woman was Rose Hamid, a 56-year-old flight attendant who is Muslim. After being escorted out by security officers and campaign representatives, Hamid told CNN in an interview that some of the Trump supporters sitting near her were kind and apologized as she was led out. But she said others accused her of having a bomb or shouted “Get out!”
“This demonstrates how when you start dehumanizing the other, it can turn people into very hateful, ugly people,” Hamid told CNN. “It needs to be known.”
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