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Six years ago, I saw hate on the rise toward American Muslims. This hate was carefully cultivated by well-funded, flag-pinned profiteers. If you demonize a faith of 1.8 billion people you can sell a lot of weapons. Ibram X. Kendi, in his book “Stamped From the Beginning,” proposes that racism starts with economic interests, gets expressed in policies that benefit a few, and becomes rationalized by propaganda, that then creates racist feelings and attitudes in the population.

This begins an ever-expanding cycle of violence. When we learn to hate one group, hate toward another is an inev...