---
[ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive)
# California’s Loretta Sanchez: America’s Fear-Leader?
December 17 2015
Written by Olivia Alperstein.
[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
TERRORISM POLITICS-Representative Loretta Sanchez voiced the fears of a growing number of Americans when she spoke recently [with Larry King](http://www.ora.tv/politicking/2015/12/9/are-obamas-isis-policies-promises-enough-for-a-frightened-nation-0_73oos2epjynr%20) as details about the San Bernardino shooters emerged.
“We know that there is a small group” of Muslims, the California Democrat said — “anywhere between 5 and 20 percent” of them, by her estimate — who “have a desire for a caliphate and to institute that in any way possible.” According to the California Democrat and Senate candidate, they “use terrorism” to “go after what they consider western norms” and “our way of life.”
Twenty percent of Muslims support terrorism? That’s certainly a scary number.
It’s also bogus. Muslims make up 1.6 billion people worldwide, and less than 1 percent are considered by western nations to be at risk of becoming radicalized, according to the RAND Corporation. More than 90 percent of recent terrorist attacks in the United States and Europe, law enforcement agencies calculate, were perpetrated by non-Muslims.
Sanchez later tried to [walk back her comments](http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-loretta-sanchez-muslims-comment-20151214-story.html%20), claiming she’d “never attacked Muslims” while simultaneously insisting she was only referring to *foreign* Muslims in her previous remarks.
That’s no better. This kind of fear-mongering hurts us all. It limits our ability to respond creatively to challenges, curbs our innovation, and restricts our progress.
Ever since this country’s founding, Americans have singled out people by ethnicity, religion, or heritage to persecute mercilessly. Yet those persecuted people have always proved themselves to be integral parts of American society.
If the fear-mongers had gotten their way, Albert Einstein would never have traveled to Princeton, New Jersey and escaped the Holocaust. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover wanted to treat Einstein — a Jewish German immigrant — like a spy. Instead, we gave him refuge. Today, the entire town of Princeton celebrates Einstein as one of their most famous residents.
Imagine where we’d be if the majority of Americans still thought Irish people were thugs, wife-beaters, or lazy drunkards. Imagine if the United States had continued to ban intermarriage between people of different races. Imagine if we still interned Japanese Americans in camps. Imagine if American children were taught that all Jews have horns and are money-grabbers.
Fear only sets us back.
Muslims are the latest group of people to face hatred and discrimination in this country. But we can break the cycle.
We have a choice: We can say nothing as folks continue to stereotype millions of people based on the actions of a handful of extremists, or we can boldly extend our hands and welcome the Ahmed Mohameds and Malala Yousafzais of the world, leaders and change makers who also happen to be Muslim — and whose hearts are no fuller of hate than are ours.
*(Olivia Alperstein is the Communications and Policy Associate at Progressive Congress.* [ProgressiveCongress.org](http://ProgressiveCongress.org)*. Distributed by* [OtherWords.org](http://OtherWords.org%20) *Prepped for* CityWatch *by Linda Abrams.*
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 102
Pub: Dec 18, 2015
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/98 "Donna Tryfman - HS1-1")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/111 "David DeJute Campaign")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/112 "Anna Reitano Vertical R. Col")
## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays
Email
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/113 "Rhonda Haymon campaign")
---
## Featured CityWatch Stories
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/housing/33413-with-national-implications-corporate-landlords-take-aim-at-three-pro-rent-control-campaigns-in-california)
### [With National Implications, Corporate Landlords Take Aim at Three Pro-Rent Control Campaigns in California](https://mail.citywatchla.com/housing/33413-with-national-implications-corporate-landlords-take-aim-at-three-pro-rent-control-campaigns-in-california)
HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT - Corporate landlords and their high-powered lobbying group, the California Apartment Associat…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33386-massacre-on-city-streets-mayor-bass-must-issue-an-emergency-declaration-now)
### [Massacre on City Streets: Mayor Bass Must Issue an Emergency Declaration Now](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33386-massacre-on-city-streets-mayor-bass-must-issue-an-emergency-declaration-now)
NICK'S VIEW - I have previously written about Los Angeles’s grim paradox: a city that promises safer streets while bein…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/la-watchdog/33395-should-dwp-ratepayers-pay-for-the-citys-streetlights)
### [Should DWP Ratepayers Pay for the City’s Streetlights? ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/la-watchdog/33395-should-dwp-ratepayers-pay-for-the-citys-streetlights)
LA WATCHDOG - In June, 80% of Los Angeles voters rejected the Bureau of Street Lighting’s ballot measure to increase th…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/neighborhood-politics/33398-why-are-la-officials-ignoring-illegal-rv-parking-on-washington-blvd)
### [Why Are LA Officials Ignoring Illegal RV Parking on Washington Blvd?](https://mail.citywatchla.com/neighborhood-politics/33398-why-are-la-officials-ignoring-illegal-rv-parking-on-washington-blvd)
WESTSIDE - Washington Blvd here in Venice is a main artery and corridor to the beach and pier. It is in fact a gateway…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/guest-words/33419-they-tried-to-break-the-jewish-people-we-kept-building)
### [They Tried to Break the Jewish People. We Kept Building](https://mail.citywatchla.com/guest-words/33419-they-tried-to-break-the-jewish-people-we-kept-building)
A STUDENT’S VIEW - My generation of Jews has learned something I wish we did not have to learn so young: antisemitism i…
---
## [ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)### [Early Intervention and Jobs are Key to Stemming Chronic Homelessness in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)
### [Tucker Carlson and Gay Rightwinger Blame California Wildfires On Hiring LGBTQ People](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/18755-tucker-carlson-and-gay-rightwinger-blame-california-wildfires-on-hiring-lgbtq-people)
### [Anti-LGBTQ Veep Just Can’t Stop Talking about Mayor Pete](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/17690-anti-lgbtq-veep-just-can-t-stop-talking-about-mayor-pete)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)### [NEWS PULSE: ‘Corrupt System’ Reason for Not Voting in 2018 … Majority Wants More Than Two Parties](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)### [Dead Dog Set on Fire … Sparks Fears for Strays in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)