Photo By: Sachyn Mital

The Supreme Court is allowing President Donald Trump to forge ahead with a limited version of his ban on travel from six Muslim majority countries into the United States, before an October case will settle the matter once and for all. This evening Trump hailed the decision as a “victory for national security,” however the blatant hypocrisy and underlying bigotry of this administration’s goals, understandably causes Muslim American’s and their famlies abroad much anxiety. Many feel a sense of hopeless during these trying times, a time where our government is sanctioning bigotry and curtailing our court system to meet its hallow goal of fleecing the American people, using bigotry is a classic smokescreen for greedy corrupt authoritarians.

It comes to no surprise America has become a hostile place for immigrants more so under the Trump presidency, especially for Muslim Americans. The toxicity espoused from the Trump administration has lead to the largest spike of hate crimes exceeding the spike post 9/11 carried out against Muslim’s at home. I’m not sure if this is what gives greater cause for alarm for me as a Muslim America myself, or the focus on the fraction of violence hyper scrutinized in the media and by Trump himself whilst ignoring the sheer volume of white nationalist hate crimes that is ignored, it’s the collective gas lighting I worry about. However temporary his presidency, it’s that which marginalizes me and others like me into either a terrorist or a patriot that can never prove his American-ness that will likely reverberate across the times.



Last year, I had the great privilege of attending a Swet Shop Boy‘s concert at Webster Hall. The duo don’t parse words, as an unapologetically anti-imperialist rap group, they are comprised of rappers Riz Ahmed and Heems. Sweet Shop Boy’s released the poignantly timed T5 single/music video, highlighting the drama that would soon come to its climax right at airports across the country, as countless muslim families were detained at airports as Homeland Security scurried to figure out what to do down the chain of command.

 

The following monologue by Riz Ahmed we filmed goes much more in depth than his 140 character Twitter thread above (although it cuts like a knife against this administrations unconstitutional agenda).

The hypocrisy and gas lighting we’ve seen of entire religion to further arms dealings and oligarchical desire for oil from eastern regions, whilst ignoring the reality Muslim’s face, is the hight of alarm. According to FBI numbers, they show hate crimes against Muslims rose 67 percent in 2015, the latest year for which the agency has statistics. Rising to a rate not seen since 2001, the xenophobia Trump and his admin are involved with continues to cause innocent murders at home in an unwelcoming hate-filled environment, look at the recent horrific violence in Portland when three men lost their lives standing up to a racist bully that was ranting against women on the train with hijabs on or Nabra Hassanen, the 17-year-old teen who was violently murdered leaving a mosque, or the growing amount of vandalized mosques and islamic community centers to get a snapshot of the effect of Trump’s scapegoating and flaming of bigotry and violence against Muslim’s.

Going back to Swet Shop boys single T5, while it illuminates what Muslim’s go through everyday at airports, its cultural synchronicity connect in so many ways. For myself personally, I remember the feeling then, when I was one of the many people that showed up at JFK (where I used to work for 5 years) surrounded by every walk of life imaginable, together with thousands standing up for the first wave of families being detained and denied their basic civil rights at Terminal 4.

Soon after a judges ruled against this malicious tyrannical order by Trump. (Much thanks to the lawyers that poured in and worked in shifts to bring them justice). The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, said the ban was “rooted in religious animus” toward Muslims and did what many legal experts are doing best, using Trump’s own ignorance against him. During his campaign, he promised to instate a ban on “Muslims entering the country.” His tweets are considered to be part of the public record, the remarks he has made since becoming president and his growing silence over hate crimes at home against Muslim’s further inflame his true agenda and strategy. Then San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban did not comply with federal immigration law, including “a prohibition on nationality-based discrimination.” That court also put a hold on separate aspects of the policy that would keep all refugees out of the United States for 120 days and cut by more than half, from 110,000 to 50,000. A federal judge blocked it eight days later, upheld by a 9th circuit panel.

Rather than pursue an appeal, the Trump administration said it would revise the policy and the battle is set for the highest court in the land come October and you be sure we’re ready.

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