Muslims are the new black men: Samuel L Jackson

Famed Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson has spoken out against the rampant islamophobia gripping the US after attacks by ISIS in Paris and California.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Samuel said he empathizes with Muslims because they are “the new black men” and are facing the discrimination that black people once used to face in a predominantly white country.

Following the attacks, people have a “legitimate reason” to fear Muslims, says the Pulp Fiction star and that has lead to ordinary, innocent citizens suffering.

He also added that he had hoped the California shooting that killed 14 people and injured 21 would not be linked to Muslims, because that would legitimize the fear further after the Paris attacks.

“When that thing happened in France, we were sitting there going, ‘Oh, my God, these terrorists!’ And I can’t even tell you how much that day the thing that happened in San Bernardino — I was in Hawaii — how much I really wanted that to just be another, you know, crazy white dude, and not really some Muslims.”

“Because it’s like: ‘Oh, shit. It’s here. And it’s here in another kind of way.’ Now, okay, it happened on an Army base and it happened somewhere else. But now? It’s like they have a legitimate reason now to look at your Muslim neighbour, friend, whatever in another way. And they become the new young black men,” he explained.

Commenting on the ongoing American elections and his golf buddy Donald Trump’s controversial views on Muslims and refugees, he simply said, “There’s absolutely nothing I can do. There are some other people that aren’t as open about what he’s saying that are running also, you know, that are just as crazy, that have just as much ill-will toward the common man — and not just the common black man. People who don’t have a certain amount of money don’t mean anything to them.”

Samuel, however, remains a loyal Democrat and says he is voting for Hillary Clinton. ”I’m gonna vote for Hillary. I mean, I love Bernie — Bernie’s a man of the people — but he can’t win. So I gotta cast my vote for a person that can keep those other people from winning, okay? Not to mention, you know, Hillary kinda knows the job, she can hit the ground running,” he added.

His latest movie, The Hateful Eight, will be hitting theatres on January 1.