The days after the election have reflected the worst and sometimes the best in society for American Muslims.
Mosques in Georgia and California received anonymous, handwritten letters filled with warnings of genocide against Muslims from an anonymous group calling itself "Americans for a Better Way." From racist graffiti to acts of violence, the county has investigated 62 hate crimes and bias incidents this year.
“I think he is going to destroy the world,” a 7-year old boy stood in front of a crowded hall and stated at a community discussion at the Muslim Community Center. A report released by Southern Poverty Law Center alludes to the Trump effect and the 900 incidents of bias and violence in the ten days after elections. According to the report, schools have been the most common sites of the spike in harassment and bullying.
Black and African Muslims stand at the crux of the virulent hate. "A Sudanese-American family in Iowa City, Iowa, for example, found a note attached to their door that read, "You can all go home now. We don't want n-----s and terrorists here. #trump,” read the SPLU report. Immigrant Muslims feel the crush of anti Muslim and anti immigrant hatred.
In a reflection of its diversity, the Muslim community has shown a variety of responses to the election. Some think the nation has elected a fascist, others think people are overreacting, and some are already normalizing the situation. A cohort of Muslim leaders wrote a letter to the President-elect in hopes of engaging him. Another group invited him to a Muslim gala. They strategize a multi-pronged, multi-dimensional approach for the Muslim community that they aim to protect. Others see this as a message of weakness that the community is sending out to him —that we are on our knees and begging. These leaders point to tactics such as these as the reason why the Muslim community is worse off that post 9/11.
Leaders in the African-American Muslim community have expressed surprise at the reactions of some of the Muslim leadership. “Having your hijab snatched off is unfortunate and despicable, being called names is unpleasant, being looked down upon is disheartening, but none of that compares to being lynched, being whipped for learning to read, snatched off the street never to be seen again because you're black, or killed for looking someone in the eye. How little we remember! We endured Jim Crow but [want to] cry over Donald Trump?” stated Imam Luqman Ahmad of Sacramento. African American Muslim leaders from the younger generation have moved on from politics of endurance to street politics and are joining the protests across the country.
Hate crimes are also up in the state of Maryland, according to Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh. One of the boys' bathrooms at Westland Middle School in Montgomery County was vandalized with multiple images of swastikas drawn in ink pen, pencil and a glue stick. The state has set up a phone number where incidents can be reported. The hotline number is 1-866-481-8361.
“I want to personally tell you that Muslim Advocates will be using every resource and legal tool available to ensure that the rights of all Americans are protected. Now, more than ever, we must ensure our judiciary plays its role as a vital check on the executive and legislative branches,” promised Farhana Khera, Executive Director of Muslim Advocates in a statement.
Acts of solidarity and visible allyship have increased too. Masajid, Muslim Student Associations, Islamic schools received letters of love and signs of support, including the Islamic Community Center of Laurel and Tarbiyah Academy. Interfaith partners and neighbors reached out. Muslims also visited houses of worship of other faiths hit by hate crimes.
Under the banner of Stand Up for the Montgomery Way, County Executive Ike Leggett convened a rally on November 20, 2016. Community members were encouraged to show support and come join County Council members and other public officials, faith leaders and neighbors in reaffirming values of Diversity, Inclusion and Respect for all. The rally took place at the Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza. The Islamic Center of Maryland Board of Trustees was present to show support. Imam Jamil Dasti attended as a faith leader, as did leadership from Muslim Community Center and Islamic Society of Washington Area.
In Hyattsville, residents held a solidarity rally coined Not on My Watch. “I feel like my religion has been hijacked by extremist,” stated a pastor. As the Muslim woman on the podium, I nodded my head in agreement, I knew the feeling really well.
As people sought answers and strength in community, major masajid pulled at local resources and held gatherings through the region to address concerns. At the McLean Islamic Center, Muslims in government— Rumana Ahmed Senior Advisor at the White House and Rashad Hussain, Senior Counsel Depart of Justice, Arsalan Sulieman, Acting Special Envoy to the OIC — gathered for a post election talk. ADAMS Center held a private gathering immediately after the election. The main hall at MCC was filled at the Youth Group Election 2016 discussion. Dar Us Salaam’s Friday potluck halaqah with Imam Safi Khan was dedicated to the topic.
Sermons and halaqas about finding strength in the verses of the Quran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad were recorded and shared on Islamic Centers websites, Muslim Whatsapp groups and other social media. The need for organizing —stressed by activists— spurred new alliances- some based on Prophetic concern for others, and others based on survival. Artists and poets working in times of duress were publishing uplifting works.
Muslim nonprofits started checking their documentation, as did immigrant families. Undocumented families continue to live on the shadows, as the Muslim community often does not think that this is a Muslim issue.
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) urged that state’s Muslims to remain vigilant, exercise caution and express solidarity with other vulnerable communities in the aftermath of a post-election surge of hate incidents sweeping across the state.
Viral posts on social media showcasing self-defense tactics against hijab grabbers spread, local community centers have organized classes for the community. Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment - WISE D.C. Chapter, in collaboration with Muslim American Women's Policy Forum (MAWPF) and the Washington Peace Center is also hosting self-defense workshops, as is Aqabah Karate in College Park, Maryland. A men's self-defense seminar is planned at the Prince George's Muslim Association on effective self-defense techniques, ground fighting, and submission based on the Five Elements of Gracie Jiu Jitsu.
Cabinet Picks Cement Campaign Rhetoric
The nation faces confirmed appointments of Lt Gen Michel Flynn as national security adviser and General Jeff Sessions as attorney general. More so, Frank Gaffney and Kris Kobach and White Nationalist, former Breitbart executive Stephen Bannon have been placed as top advisors, earning accolades from the Ku Klux Klan. That means rabid anti-Muslim thought will be at the head of the state.
As recently as 2001, Gaffney Jr. was reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center as saying ““We're witnessing not just the violent kind of jihad that these Islamists believe God compels them to engage in, but also, where they must for tactical reasons, a more stealthy kind, or civilizational jihad as the Muslim Brotherhood calls it. We're witnessing that playing out, not only in places in the Middle East but also in Europe, in Australia, in Canada and here in the United States as well.”
Trump's foreign policy team also includes Walid Phares, a Maronite Christian who trained Lebanese militants in ideological beliefs justifying the war against Lebanon's Muslim and Druze factions. “I can't think of any earlier instance a [possible presidential] adviser having held a comparable formal position with a foreign organization,” says Paul Pillar, a 20-year veteran of the CIA and a professor at Georgetown's Center for Peace and Security Studies.
“It should raise eyebrows any time someone in a position to exert behind-the-scenes influence on a US leader has ties to a foreign entity that are strong enough for foreign interests, and not just US interests, to determine the advice given,” writes Adam Serwer in his 2011 Mother Jones article.
While No Fly Lists and the Terror Watch List are already in existence, Kobach has said 'the immigration policy group could recommend the reinstatement of a national registry of immigrants and visitors who enter the United States on visas from countries where extremist organizations are active'. Kris Kobach helped craft the controversial Bush-era NSEERS program, which required immigrants from 25 countries to register themselves with the federal government; based solely on the country they came from—24 of which were Muslim-majority. He was also one of the architects of Arizona's most racist law — SB 1070 —that gave local police the authority to stop folks based on the “suspicion” that they may be undocumented immigrants. Another pick for the head the Department of Homeland Security is Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr., a Trump supporter, who once stated that he thinks 1 million people should be shipped off to Guantanamo.
“There were many Muslim immigrants who went to register because they felt if they didn't do anything wrong, after all what could have happened,” says Darakshan Raja of the Washington Peace Center, who was a witness to NSEERs wreaking havoc in her community. “They were deported. Some were arrested. Others were thrown in prisons. Some were used for entrapments and preemptive prosecutions and the state successfully destroyed local communities.”
While allies have shared that they would show up to register if a registry was implemented Raja adds, “I would like to clarify, this has happened, and you didn't show up. On the contrary many supported all of these efforts under the post 9/11 policies.”
Raja warns of a nexus that Muslims need to be aware off is “White supremacists - Zionists - Hindu Supremacists - Fascists” She testified in front of the DC City Council to push for the Federal Immigration Raids Resolution, the importance of remaining a sanctuary city ( a city that follows certain procedures that shelters undocumented people) and pushed strongly that the District cannot allow for Muslim registration centers or any form of internment.
Maryland Senator-elect Chris Van Hollen joined Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI) and 167 other members of the U.S. House and sent a letter asking President-elect Donald Trump to rescind extremist leader Steve Bannon’s appointment as White House Chief Strategist.
“Unfortunately, your appointment of Stephen Bannon, whose ties to the White Nationalist movement have been well-documented, directly undermines your ability to unite the country,” the Members wrote. “As elected representatives of millions of Americans from diverse backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities, we strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to appoint Mr. Bannon to White House Chief Strategist,” stated the letter.
"We need [Trump] to strongly reject bigotry in all its forms," said Brenda Abdelall of Muslim Advocates.
Signs of Authoritarianism
Youssef Chouhoud, a political strategist and researcher based in California, studies autocratic regimes in other parts of the world. He says, “be vigilant in your communities and be vigilant about broader issues of democracy. A lot of people who are trying to normalize this candidate, but there are really troubling parallels with autocracy in other parts of world.” One red flag that he notes is how leaders deal with media. “We will have de facto state media in America,” he shares. Breitbart and Fox News will be the officially endorsed channels. All other media is oppositional media and [will be] treated as such. Chouhoud believes that there will be a shadow over information, as Trump is prone to outright lies and [frequently] stretches the truth.” We already see this happening as Trump is taking credit for keeping a Ford plant in the United States which was not moving to Mexico.
“Part of the reason the Muslims in America are ill equipped to really deal with this head on is the fact we haven’t been grooming our community civically in the game and be able to proactively address these issues because we haven’t been participating as much. We need to get involved in every practical local community involvement. Doesn’t need to have to do with Muslim issues,” advises Chouhoud.
Another phenomenon he notes was the aligning of the Muslim community with the Democratic Party despite not identifying with them. Muslims in America that do identify with a party, increasingly do so with the Democrats, but this did not exist 20 years ago. There was a shift in the American Muslim community after 9/11. “They believed they found a home in the Democratic Party as not many minorities were welcomed in the Republican Party,” says Chouhoud. “Democrats take us for granted,” he adds.
Earnest for good news from within the American Muslim arena, analysts point to Ilhan Omar’s victory in Minneapolis as a classic example of community involvement and building coalitions that gets Muslims elected into office.
“As you watch the news and see our world changing everyday, you like me are realizing that we can no longer afford to sit back and let "someone else " take care of it. We have to get engaged, no matter how what we do, we have to show Muslim solidarity, we have to participate as "visible" Muslims in our community,” said Adileh Sharieff, Events Director at ICM.
Gearing up for tough challenges, the Muslim community digs deep into the tenets of their faith and pull together despite differences in strategies and visions- focusing on Triumph instead of Trump.
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