Zuckerberg: I Was Taught to 'Stand Up Against Attacks'

Mark Zuckerberg has received more than 1 million likes for a Facebook post in which he adds his voice "in support of Muslims in our community and around the world." He says that after recent attacks, he "can only imagine the fear Muslims feel that they will be persecuted for the actions of others," reports Reuters. "As a Jew, my parents taught me that we must stand up against attacks on all communities. Even if an attack isn't against you today, in time attacks on freedom for anyone will hurt everyone," he writes. "If you're a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you."

"Having a child has given us so much hope, but the hate of some can make it easy to succumb to cynicism," Zuckerberg continues, saying "we can build a better world for all people" if we see the good in each other. Zuckerberg doesn't mention Donald Trump by name, though the candidate's call for a ban on Muslims entering the US seems to have inspired the post, writes Matthew Yglesias at Vox, who predicts that "Islamophobic politics" will not succeed if members of non-Muslim minority groups see "themselves as potential future victims of the demagogic tide rather than privileged to be exempted from the panic of the moment." (Zuckerberg has explained how he's giving away 99% of his Facebook shares.)