Over the weekend, I was saddened by the tragic death of Muhammad Anwar, a 66-year-old grandfather killed during a carjacking last week in Washington, D.C., and heartened to see how the crime united Americans of diverse political backgrounds to mourn the loss of a Pakistani Muslim immigrant who came to the US in 2014 seeking a better life for his family. A GoFundMe page setup to help Anwar’s widower and family has since raised nearly $1 million with people from all over America contributing money.
I hoped that his death had inspired a moment of genuine empathy that allowed us to reflect on our shared humanity, regardless of the victim’s ethnicity or religion. Could this moment invite us all to be decent?
Unfortunately, my optimism would not be rewarded.
