Ravinder Bhalla, a councilman in Hoboken, New
Jersey, would like to have lunch with a Twitter user from
Union City, New Jersey, named Robert Dubenezic and
teach him a thing or two about Muslims and Sikhs.
After the Sikh politician sent out a tweet about
turning part of Hoboken’s waterfront into a multi-use
path for bikers, joggers, and others, Dubenezic responded
with some bigotry: “How the hell did Hoboken allow
this guy to be a councilman? Shouldn’t even be allowed
in the U.S. #terrorist.”
When other Twitter users pointed out that Bhalla
was born in New Jersey, and Dubenezic’s ancestors were
immigrants themselves, Dubenezic responded with
more ignorance. “No towel on my head,” he wrote.
Bhalla, who had never before been targeted with
racist tweets, believes that
the political rhetoric of Donald
Trump has fueled hatred
against minorities. Dubenezic,
who often rails against Muslims
on Twitter, has called
Trump the “savior of Western
civilization.”
Bhalla told the New York
Daily News that he’s trying to
find Dubenezic and hopes to have lunch with him.
“One thing [Sikhs] believe in is forgiveness,” Bhalla
said. “So I don’t hold any malice toward this individual.
In a way, I feel bad for him.”
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