102 Comments
User's avatar
Qasim Rashid, Esq.'s avatar

Grateful to all of you for your love and support. I promise to be safe. As I've long said -- we need messengers, not martyrs. Thank you for the prayers and good wishes. I'll report from MN Thursday and Friday, inshaAllah.

Lori Berlin's avatar

You are courageous beyond words......an inspiration to us all. Thank you!

Garrett Mengel's avatar

If you want to help, see STAND WITH MINNESOTA It's a portal to many different ways to help across the state while the DOJ intensifies their illegal activities.

https://www.standwithminnesota.com/?akid=23562.2237108.A28bUP&rd=1&t=3

Garrett Mengel's avatar

We're proud of you, Qasim. If the pittance we send to support your substack helps fund the trip it's money well-spent. Even if all this accomplishes is for you to bear witness, it's a worthy effort.

How I envy you - I'm too old to go!

The AI Architect's avatar

The decision to physically show up rather than just write from a distance is what authentic solidarity looks like. Bearing witness matters, especially when communities are navigating enforcement operations that operate in legal gray zones. Documenting these stories in real time builds the archive that counters whatever sanitized narrative gets constructed later. Stay safeand keep amplifying those voices.

M. F. Hopkins's avatar

The majority of the Democrats we've elected into power should follow your lead. Be careful, and thank you.

Richard Fish's avatar

Thanks for coming to Minneapolis. I've spent most of my life in the Minneapolis area. Immigrants have made the metropolitan area more vibrant as they have in the past. My state senator is from a Samali immigrant family and my city council members family is from Bangladesh. I plan to be at the rally. Hope to see you.

Tom Huntington's avatar

You inspire me the more and more I get to know & hear your care and courage for our fellow humans. I aspire to be even half as caring & courageous an advocate & activist for human life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness as you!

Lily Kulibaba's avatar

This is what this mother tells her son when he travels: Be Smart, Be Careful, Be Safe.

Bear witness and defend the truth for our sisters and brothers.

Christine Hartman's avatar

Please stay safe. Thank you for being a witness and saying truths that others will not.

B.Ruth. Cornwell's avatar

Some will deride you as a mere attention seeker. Hmm I guess Paul Revere and the Minute Men were mere attention seekers as well. Since when is it criminal to be an attention seeker? I guess since forever, whenever that attention seeking points to uncomfortable truths, or illegal actions and rouses the ire of REAL criminals....

Beth Jane Freeman's avatar

Good luck and be careful!

Richard's avatar

Good luck be with you.

Linda Caron's avatar

I just forwarded this to many of my email contacts asking them to stand with you and to pray for you at the least and hopefully contribute financially. A few will be unhappy with me. But I don't have the courage you have to go and just had to do something to support you. You will be a person of note in the history books when this horrific era is written about. May God be at your side always.

Qasim Rashid, Esq.'s avatar

Deeply grateful for the prayers, Linda. They are most precious to me.

Alexis Ingram's avatar

Praying for you (and all of Minnesota)! Keep us posted!

Barbara Lemmel's avatar

Thank you for going! I am not able to be there but I have colleagues (I'm a pastor) who will be there with you. Prayers for strength and solidarity and clarity and grace, for all of you.