Gigi and Bella Protested Trump’s Immigration Ban In NYC This Weekend
When you think of the faces of celebrity activism, your mind doesn’t go straight to the leading members of the Hadid family, but that didn’t stop Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid from spending their Sunday afternoon marching against Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban.
On Friday afternoon, Trump signed his “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States” executive order, the latest in a troubling line of immigration decisions.
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Among other things, the order, commonly known as Trump’s Muslim ban — even though Trump continues to swear it’s not a religious thing — issued a temporary but immediate ban on letting immigrants into the US from seven predominantly Muslim countries: Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
All of this makes about zero sense seeing as how there have been ZERO terrorist attacks since September 11th as a result of immigrants from those seven countries, as the New York Times points out. Plus, the ban doesn’t even touch Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the two countries where founders of al Qaeda originated. But when have logic and reason ever been the stuff that fuels Donald’s administration?
Trump’s executive order pissed off a lot of Americans and even though Gigi and Bella didn’t make it to JFK to protest outside the airport, they did make it to an NYC march on Sunday.
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The Muslim Ban is personal to them.
As Gigi herself wrote in an Instagram comment after some of her less culturally aware fans mistakingly chastised her for culturally appropriating middle-eastern culture, “check out the last name. Hadid. [I’m] Half Palestinian & proud of it.” Gigi’s dad is Muslim, although she hasn’t commented on whether she practices any religion herself.
Plus, her adorably whipped boyfriend Zayn is Muslim and half Pakistani.
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No matter what your feelings on celebrity activism, whenever a celebrity takes a stand for a political cause — be it on the left or right — it sends a message to all of their fans: it’s okay to use your voice to speak out about what’s right and what’s wrong in our country.
The time for staying silent so you don’t piss off people who don’t share your political views is OVER.
Which doesn’t mean you have to get on the self-righteous express — in fact, please don’t — but don’t be afraid to have a political conversation just because it’s difficult and you don’t want your friends, co-workers or family members to get mad at you.
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So way to go, Gigi and Bella.
Glad to see you’re not letting your friendship with Taylor Swift get in the way of being responsible American citizens.
