I think that our republic was created in a way that is meant to be as inclusive as possible. Obviously that means something a little different now than it was back then, but the principles are still the same and there's plenty there for all of us to rally around. Even when I was sworn in, I swore in on the U.S. and Virginia constitutions, not on any religious document, to send a point that as a proud Muslim American, I'm very proud to be able to be elected to defend the Virginia and U.S. constitutions, because that is our charge as legislators and we shouldn't forget that.

As liberals are puppets in Donald Trump's show right now, all he needs to do is create any distraction and all of a sudden, the whole country is completely distracted, including the American left. We need to be laser focused on figuring out what are our values, what do we really want to be defending on the left, and how are we going to do that, coming up with the plan and moving forward.

We need to be fighting and rallying around the common American values. This is where the Democratic Party needs to learn and grow as we move forward.

When we talk about defending Muslims, defending women, we're automatically by default excluding someone, but when we talk about defending liberty, when we talk about defending the freedoms that are enshrined within our founding documents, that is inclusive of every American. That's a message the American left needs to learn as we move forward.

Regardless of the Islamophobia, where we have gone wrong in the Democratic Party and the American left is to play wholeheartedly into identity politics, which divides us just as much as it can unite us. We need to take a long hard look. We can celebrate our identities and our heritage, we can understand, you know, but we don't need to be melting pot. We can be a solid ball with all the different pieces.

It's been harder for me for sure being Muslim American, it's been harder for me for sure being the first Muslim ever elected anything here in Virginia, but it's actually made me into a much better person. So, the neat thing is while it's more difficult for people like me maybe to get elected in certain parts of our country, we prove that it's possible. And, that's something to be commended here in our country, that people from all walks of life can be involved and that's not the case even in some developed countries.

The lack of fairness that we have in the richest country in the world is something that hits my district pretty hard. Eighty-three percent free and reduced lunch. We have the fourth-highest Medicaid population per capita in Virginia. There are folks that are just making it, literally day to day. When I'm knocking on doors, I'm reminded constantly of the struggles that people have. And, sometimes, we realized there are so few people that are advocating on their behalf that we want to be a real solid voice for them, and that drives me on a regular basis.