Aziz Ansari Pens 'NYT' Op-Ed About Muslim Ban, Tells Trump to "Go F*ck Himself"

Aziz Ansari is speaking out about the "vitriolic" rhetoric of presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. The Master of None creator and star penned an impassioned op-ed for the New York Times, published Friday, in which Ansari draws on personal experience and recent events to blast Trump for inspiring a new wave of prejudice.

"I am the son of Muslim immigrants," Ansari wrote, revealing he texted his parents after hearing news of the recent mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando. "As I sent that text, in the aftermath of the horrible attack in Orlando, Fla., I realized how awful it was to tell an American citizen to be careful about how she worshiped," Ansari said.

With the rise of Trump and others, Ansari says, prejudice is hitting "new levels" in the United States and beyond. "It's visceral, and scary, and it affects how people live, work and pray," Ansari said. "It makes me afraid for my family. It also makes no sense." To prove the lack of logic inherent in Trump's oft-repeated claims regarding Muslim citizens, Ansari unpacked some stats:

Ansari also mentioned Trump's claim that Muslims in New Jersey and elsewhere cheered in the streets following the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, adding that the sound of the second plane hitting the towers would be "forever ingrained" in his head. "I was scared for my life as my fellow students and I trekked the panicked streets of Manhattan," Ansari said. "My family, unable to reach me on my cell phone, was terrified about my safety as they watched the towers collapse. There was absolutely no cheering. Only sadness, horror and fear."

Read the full essay here.