Deedra Abboud hopes that she’ll be the one to unseat Jeff Flake, the Republican senator from Arizona, in next year’s midterm elections.
But first, she’s found herself contending with people attacking her for her Muslim faith.
And in this, she’s found an ally: Flake himself.
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Abboud is from Little Rock, Ark., and now works as a lawyer based in Phoenix. She’s running in the Democratic primary to seek a Senate seat in Arizona.
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And her Facebook page is littered with offensive comments targeting her religion.
One person likened Allah to Satan in response to a post about the U.S. Constitution.
Another commenter said, “Islam’s true colours are finally being noticed by the weaker-minded American,” in response to a post announcing her candidacy.
READ MORE: Muslim misconceptions: the everyday Islamophobia facing Canadians
Arizona Central reported that Abboud has police escort at events because she has “received a lot of hate.”
But Flake is one person who won’t stand for it.
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In a tweet on Tuesday night, he said he was “sorry” that Abboud had to “put up with this.”
“Lots of wonderful people across Arizona,” he said. “You’ll find them.”
Abboud thanked Flake for his words.
“Arizona’s amazing people deserve more of this,” she tweeted.
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