In a recent discussion with The Guardian, Rami Malek detailed his experiences with racism as an Egyptian-American, citing one incident of racial profiling in which he found himself on the hood of a cop car.
“I was thrown on the hood of an LAPD cop’s car because someone robbed a liquor store and stole a woman’s purse,” Malik explained. “They said (the thief) was Hispanic, and ‘You fit the description.’ I remember how hot the engine was, they must have been racing out there and my hand was almost burning.
Fortunately for Mr. Robot, he had a “clever” friend nearby who could explain Malik’s race to the arresting officer.
“My friend, who was Caucasian, was smart enough to say, ‘Actually, sir, he’s Egyptian.’” “Not Latin,” Malek recalls. “I remember laughing in the police car, and I thought, ‘Well, this is a very risky situation. . “Maybe I’ll go to prison for something I didn’t do.”
Malik said he is concerned that discrimination against immigrants in the United States may worsen with Donald Trump taking office on January 20. He continued by explaining that former President Barack Obama’s book, “Dreams from My Father and the Audacity of Hope,” is still a major source. And persevere, even when the election does not lead to the preferred outcome.
“The idea of a man with a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas becoming president of the United States was one of the most hopeful moments in the story of the American dream,” Malik said. “This has been turned on its head. I always look at situations like this and just hope it brings out the best in us.