By John Hack
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Russia was able to interfere in the 2016 presidential election because it could exploit racism and a fear of immigrants among some Americans, a visiting fellow from Harvard University told an audience at Towson University on Thursday.
Quasim Rashid, an attorney, author and Truman National Security Fellow, also said that then-candidate Donald Trump was able to capitalize on American bigotry toward Mexican immigrants to help him connect with lower-working-class voters and reinforce some of the misinformation they typically hear on right-wing media.
“Russia looked at how fear and racism was a prominent part of American society,” said Rashid, noting that many Americans were influenced by misinformation spread on social media like Facebook and Twitter.
Rashid urged his audience not to fight hate with more hate. If a person reciprocates hate, Rashid said, then they “have just given up your choice to them.”
“If you pick one issue…and become an expert on that…then you can be the person to stop this injustice from happening,” he said.
Rashid came to Towson as part of the university’s annual Badolato Speaker Series. This year’s theme was “Human Rights & Homeland Security.”
Rashid is a human rights activist and a former visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Islamic Studies Program. Rashid is also a decorated, publicly respected author who has published various works in large national news outlets such as The Daily Beast, NPR, NBC, and USA Today. According to his Linkedin page, Rashid has also worked as a legal loss mitigation attorney and has experience working in immigration, refugee and asylum cases.
He encouraged the audience, most of whom were Towson students, not to be afraid to ask questions that might seem insensitive or politically incorrect. He said people should “respect each other’s questions.”
Rashid inferred that just as the U.S. government would make necessary adjustments in policy to prevent the next terrorist attack, American society should also prepare policies that allow for a more secure, yet just immigration system.