Mark Zuckerberg Sends a Message to Muslim Facebook Users

Mark Zuckerberg photo via Flickr/Creative Commons

In a post on Facebook yesterday, Mark Zuckerberg wrote that he would fight to protect the rights of Muslims using Facebook.

“I want to add my voice in support of Muslims in our community and around the world,” he wrote.

“If you’re a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you.”

His statement comes after Donald Trump’s alarming remarks calling for a ban on Muslims entering the country, an action that some of his followers support. It’s a tense time for Muslim Americans following the recent terror-related shooting in San Bernardino, California, and last month’s terrorist attacks in Paris.

Facebook has served as a place for anti-Islam groups to organize. Last month, a group in Texas posted Muslims’ personal information on the social networking site.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg thanked the Harvard alum for his post in a comment.

“We should not just tolerate our differences but embrace them,” she wrote. “As a society, we can do so much better.”

Zuckerberg also mentioned having a child has given him and his wife, Priscilla Chan, hope.

“As long as we stand together and see the good in eachother, we can build a better world for all people.”

Last week, Zuckerberg and his wife announced the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, an organization to which they’re giving 99 percent of their Facebook stock—worth about $45 million—to promote equality.