Sami’s detention should concern every American, regardless of political or religious affiliation. Because when truth-telling becomes grounds for detention, when journalists are targeted abroad and censored at home, we are not defending democracy—we are dismantling it.
Mandela’s words remind us that a democracy without an independent press is no democracy at all. The question now is whether our leaders still believe that.
Hussam Ayloush is CEO of CAIR-CA, a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.