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.

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.

I think the Democratic Party is firmly in the wilderness right now and doesn't know exactly what to do. We talk about trust. Fundamentally, the American people have lost a lot of trust in both parties, but in particular, my party. Growing trust is a very simple calculation: People want to know what your values are, and they watch your behaviors. If your behaviors align with your values, then they trust you. If you say I'm for the people, but we're just as bought off as the other party, or we say we're for fairness, but we gerrymander just like the other side, people see.

You bring up identity politics and I think that this is really causing a divide in the American left where we're rallying too much around identities. We should celebrate our heritage, we should organize by identity, but we shouldn't advocate and push for certain identities. We shouldn't talk about women suffrage, or plight of Muslims, or refugees; we should talk about our common American values.

You'd be surprised how quickly our identities evaporate when we were able to connect with people on a very personal level because we're all really trying to chase the same dream, we are looking for the same thing, we're raising our kids, we're just trying to get along. And, right now we are able to show people, hey, I'm just a human being like you are, I've got to take care of my kids and my family just like you, how can I help you?

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.

What happens with identity politics sometimes is there's a competition among the oppressed: You're more oppressed than me and if not, then unfortunately you may not receive as much attention. What we need to do is make sure we're focusing on what our core American values are, and ensure that everyone feels as though we are in this together.