Like many other Americans, Adileh Sharieff stayed up watching the results of the presidential elections on the television. She was actively involved in the Get Out and Vote campaign as the event's organizer at her local masjid, Islamic Center of Maryland, in Gaithersburg, Md.
As the news of the election hit the Muslim community, many were looking for answers.
Montgomery County, where Adileh lives, has an estimated ten percent Muslim population. The county is extremely diverse and the fact that so many incidents of hate were stemming from this county was a wakeup call for many. In fact Gaithersburg is the most diverse city in the country, followed closely by Silver Spring, per Wallethub. Churches and synagogues were defaced. Many immigrants are wondering how they would fare under the new administration, hurting, and needed to gather and gain collective strength from each other. She reached out to Zainab Chaudry of the Council of American Islamic Relations, Hena Zuberi, Muslim Link reporter and editor-in-chief of MuslimMatters, and Imam Suhaib Webb to lead a post-election panel. Moving beyond election 2016: Where do we go from here.
The event highlighted the need to remain steadfast and shed fear and to work for justice for all marginalized people.
Ahsun Dasti, of ICM, encouraged by the warm words sent by supporter and interfaith partners, called on the community to volunteer their time at the center.
Mumin A. Barre who is on the local Democratic Council gave the audience several options on how to get involved in the political process. He emphasized the need for the youth to be in the forefront. “We need to give our youth — high school and college age— space so they can galvanize and organize themselves,” said Barre.
Hamza Khan, campaign manager for three Muslim women who ran for office in Montgomery County, also addressed the audience.
10-year-old Shayan Piracha stood and shared how he wasn’t happy with Trump’s win. “This did not happen without Allah’s permission,”“Allah taa’la is testing us through fear,” said Hena Zuberi. Zuberi shared what she told her children the morning after the election. “We only fear the Highest Power.”
She urged people to get organized and build. Another point mentioned was to set up a legal fund in your masjid. Don't reinvent the wheel; organizations like Project Salam, the Muslim Advocates, Muslim Legal Fund, Muslim Justice league, have been working on cases under the current administration and know the ins and outs of the legal challenges facing the community.
“Even post 9/11 we did not see the spike in hate crimes and bias attacks that we are seeing today,” said Zainab Chaudry. “Hijabs are being pulled, children are being told that they are going to be departed.”
All participants pointed out that the rhetoric from the campaign has targeted not just the Muslim community but also various other minority communities. “A whole host of people are finding themselves in the same boat that we are in,” said Chaudry. “This is a very challenging time but there is an important opportunity for us,” she added. “The same groups that are Islamophobic in nature are the same groups who are anti-semitic in nature,” said Chaudry.
“It is so important for us to know our history and the role that Islam has played in our history,” said Zainab, referring to the roots of the faith in the land even before the formation of the United states.
Imam Suhaib Webb, who now runs Center DC in Washington DC, came to address the audience after Isha. “First and foremost, the Prophets sought refuge from miscalculating reality,” he shared. We need to reinvest in ourselves and understand the people around us better. Don’t be uninformed about the history of the county— 54 percent of white women voted for Donald Trump, he said. We need to push the elites in the far left of the Democratic Party, that has almost lost its principles.
“We have to think about the actions amongst ourselves and to build community beyond the structures,” said Imam Suhaib. “ Good or bad, we have to do work,” he said, instructing everyone to volunteer when Muslim organizations need support. “Do the background work.” Muslims can work with anyone in intersections as long work needs to be done, so we need to organize within the community and organize with others,” he said.
“Activism is fardh kifayah,” he reminded the audience.
Audience question the panelists about the realistic expectations from a Trump administration. Zuberi suggested reading his 100 day plan — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is on the chopping block as is the Affordable Healthcare Act — is reading up about his appointments. The uncertainty over DACA's future is causing lawyers to advise their clients not to submit new applications. She also cautions people from sharing unverified news in our listservs. .
Chaudry reminded the audience to know their rights through the constitution. She asked the audience to have a good attorney or legal counsel on call if you are being targeted. “It’s a given that if anyone has information that could jeopardizes national security that should be reported,” she said. In any case, a person should not talk to any law enforcement agencies without a lawyer present.
“We are saying we should be strong and not have a doom and gloom attitude,” said Dasti.
"Allah wanted to give the community the chance to come together and gain collective strength. Alhamdulilah He provided a chance with amazing speakers and the community came out in big numbers. From social workers, to elected officials, to area imams, to concerned parents and youth, everyone came out to support each other and to stand in solidarity as a Muslim to help define where we go from here. I walked away that night feeling strong again as a Muslim Woman, both from the positive messages from the speakers and from the positive energy of the collective community," said Sharieff.
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