The Muslim community is abuzz with the news coming from the White House on Friday with regards to the banning of refugees and possibly others from Muslim-majority countries. Now is not the time for us to perpetuate within ourselves and our communities the feelings of being victims. Now is also not the time for us to engage in irresponsible rhetoric that has no directly positive benefit. While many of us are consumed with understandable anxiety, it is important to take a (decidedly difficult) step back from the situation that affects all of us and respond with calmness. It is only from being less emotional, and not driven by fear, that we will find the strategies to cope.
As a private citizen who also happens to be in a public position as Imaam (religious leader), I do indeed find it offensive that a ban would be directed towards countries that have a greater population of people who belong to a given Abrahamic faith while also going through internal struggles tearing apart those countries. Although I was not born in nor am I from a Muslim country, as a human, I think this type of law sends the wrong message to the world. America has long been viewed as a beacon of hope to much of the world, a country of tolerance that also upholds deep rooted democratic ideals; however, placing a ban sends a message to those who violate human rights and human sanctity that America is seeking to change its course and join others to openly reward oppression. Judeo-Christian-Islamic teachings makes clear mention of helping and supporting the less fortunate. Such a law gives the false message to the less educated that our problems are not ours and are directly linked to foreigners. Such a message can become a tool of abuse upon the less fortunate, not just abroad but internally as well. This promotes a climate of hostility that affects the well-being of all.
The countries that have been singled out are facing enormous struggles. Most of their struggles are directly linked to foreign nations that have also contributed to the imbalance within those countries — in areas of economics, politics and even social well-being. This being said, I do agree that all countries should have programs that promote peace and positive development of their citizens and there should not be encouragement of violence in any form. America alone should not be the source of their solutions, but nor should we be a major contributor to their problems. Thus, to single out only Muslim-majority countries, and specifically their Muslim citizens is wrong, as there are just as many other countries not on the list that perpetuate racism and bigotry, as well as more quantifiable actions such as the killings of those who are viewed as lesser in human value. Are we to add to that list by, for example, adding Myanmar, a country committing mass massacres against their Muslim Rohingya population? Shall the Democratic Congo Republic be added to the list for its murderous policies against its Muslim population? Shall Russia be added to the list for its incursion into Crimea, which surely is taking lives and causing an upheaval in Ukrainian society? Where do we draw the line on such bans? What do these bans say about our values and our biases as a nation that welcomes such bans?
As an American citizen, I will also will be offended if other countries placed a limitation on my travels because I have an American passport, or because my country — the USA — has companies that hire cheap labor for great profits at the expense of human dignity, or because we have undertaken drone attacks in which there have been more collateral damage than success, or because America has promoted the killing or oppression of foreign leaderships and foreign citizens in their given lands, or even US citizens in foreign lands. Likewise, as Americans are by and large a loving people, we should not be viewed on the world stage for opposing climate progress, or for deporting Hispanics, or shooting unarmed African Americans merely because a few in America may very well promote such debased and regressive values.
As Americans who have freely and consciously adopted and integrated into the American values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, Muslim Americans have known the people of America to stand for justice and inclusiveness. Over the weekend, while we were coming to grips with the ramifications of this sudden announcement, we also saw mainstream America turn out to show us that we do have friends and allies. Airports across the nation were filled with protestors and with lawyers, with people packing the busiest airports in solidarity with those who were being unjustly detained. It was a heartwarming boost to the Muslims of America, and if that wasn’t enough, the ACLU defended those detained under the Executive Order of the President. The federal judges in Brooklyn, Virginia, and Boston as well as the District Court in Seattle all granted temporary stays on this overreach of the executive branch. So we see yet again that positive action is the path for all humans to take while undergoing any sort of difficulty. We will not all be able to protest. We will not all be able defend the underdogs through the law. We can all send pizzas for the protestors and volunteer lawyers. We can donate to those who are on the front-lines of this new struggle, another in a long list of struggles faced by America. And we can all pray. We are of a religion that believes in mercy, in forgiveness, in compassion, in beauty, in positivity. Let these attributes be our guiding light. Less fear, more positivity, better action is the path forward in the struggle for the rights of the citizen, the residents and the refugees who seek life, liberty, and happiness.