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We live in the Muslim neighborhoods Cruz wants to 'patrol and secure'. This is what it's really like We live in the Muslim neighborhoods Cruz wants to 'patrol and secure'. This is what it's really like
(about 1 hour later)
The race for the Republican presidential nomination has seen some extraordinary anti-Muslim rhetoric. Donald Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown” of the country’s borders to Muslims. In the aftermath of the Brussels attacks on 22 March, Ted Cruz said that law enforcement should “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods”. The Guardian asked Muslim-Americans from neighborhoods around the United States to tell us what impact this focus on their communities has had as they go about their lives.The race for the Republican presidential nomination has seen some extraordinary anti-Muslim rhetoric. Donald Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown” of the country’s borders to Muslims. In the aftermath of the Brussels attacks on 22 March, Ted Cruz said that law enforcement should “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods”. The Guardian asked Muslim-Americans from neighborhoods around the United States to tell us what impact this focus on their communities has had as they go about their lives.
Jalal Baig, Chicago: ‘There is no incubator of terrorism here. There are only Americans’Jalal Baig, Chicago: ‘There is no incubator of terrorism here. There are only Americans’
I have had the privilege of spending my formative years in Chicago, which has many neighborhoods that serve as a microcosm of the Muslim world. Whether shopping on the frenetic streets of Devon Avenue alongside South-Asians or consuming shwarma sandwiches in the hospitality of Arabs in Bridgeview, you will find individuals who have not only embraced their identities as Muslim-Americans but also the accompanying responsibilities. I have had the privilege of spending my formative years in Chicago, which has many neighborhoods that serve as a microcosm of the Muslim world. Whether shopping on the frenetic streets of Devon Avenue alongside South Asians or consuming shwarma sandwiches in the hospitality of Arabs in Bridgeview, you will find individuals who have not only embraced their identities as Muslim-Americans but also the accompanying responsibilities.
Ted Cruz’s casting aspersions about the Muslims who reside here is misguided and an attempt to strip them of their common humanity. Inhabitants here shared aspirations, lofty and mundane, similar to those of neighboring communities. The basic desires to pursue happiness in the company of family and friends and nurture children for a brighter future exist in these homes and on these streets – as much as in any other American neighborhoods. There is no incubator of terrorism here. There are only Americans.Ted Cruz’s casting aspersions about the Muslims who reside here is misguided and an attempt to strip them of their common humanity. Inhabitants here shared aspirations, lofty and mundane, similar to those of neighboring communities. The basic desires to pursue happiness in the company of family and friends and nurture children for a brighter future exist in these homes and on these streets – as much as in any other American neighborhoods. There is no incubator of terrorism here. There are only Americans.
Ted Cruz’s brazen statements are repugnant and incendiary – and a desperate attempt to burnish his credentials as an Islamophobe for the electorate. Though there is naturally outrage and indignation at Ted Cruz’s statements, the prevailing conviction here is that he will fail. For in Chicago, just like America, Muslims are an invaluable part of a much larger community: humanity.Ted Cruz’s brazen statements are repugnant and incendiary – and a desperate attempt to burnish his credentials as an Islamophobe for the electorate. Though there is naturally outrage and indignation at Ted Cruz’s statements, the prevailing conviction here is that he will fail. For in Chicago, just like America, Muslims are an invaluable part of a much larger community: humanity.
Burhan Mohumed, Minneapolis, Minnesota: ‘We see police as an occupying force’Burhan Mohumed, Minneapolis, Minnesota: ‘We see police as an occupying force’
Here in Cedar-Riverside, where I live, the Somali community is already targeted by surveillance. Immigrant communities find it hard to exercise their rights – its hard to stand up for yourself without privilege. Law enforcement take advantage of that fact. If you’re black, an immigrant and Muslim you’re already petrified. That’s why so many don’t speak up.Here in Cedar-Riverside, where I live, the Somali community is already targeted by surveillance. Immigrant communities find it hard to exercise their rights – its hard to stand up for yourself without privilege. Law enforcement take advantage of that fact. If you’re black, an immigrant and Muslim you’re already petrified. That’s why so many don’t speak up.
Cruz’s comments are deplorable. But what’s more deplorable is the domestic policies that are already in place. This is far more inflammatory than whatever Cruz says. Every community of color and every Muslim community is already being watched.Cruz’s comments are deplorable. But what’s more deplorable is the domestic policies that are already in place. This is far more inflammatory than whatever Cruz says. Every community of color and every Muslim community is already being watched.
In Riverside, the FBI has walked into people’s homes without warrants and interrogated under-age youth in our community. And programs like Countering Violent Extremism, a de-radicalization program, are fueling divisions, mistrust and the sense that we are being scapegoated. Many such programs claim to be about providing after-school activities but are really just there to collect information about us for law enforcement. This is damaging and incriminating to our youth because it labels and stigmatizes them.In Riverside, the FBI has walked into people’s homes without warrants and interrogated under-age youth in our community. And programs like Countering Violent Extremism, a de-radicalization program, are fueling divisions, mistrust and the sense that we are being scapegoated. Many such programs claim to be about providing after-school activities but are really just there to collect information about us for law enforcement. This is damaging and incriminating to our youth because it labels and stigmatizes them.
That’s why, in my community, we see police as an occupying force. They treat us without respect and dignity. We are watched and documented as threats, criminals and potential terrorists. A lot of domestic terror is committed by far-right groups. Why are they not targeted by surveillance and profiling?That’s why, in my community, we see police as an occupying force. They treat us without respect and dignity. We are watched and documented as threats, criminals and potential terrorists. A lot of domestic terror is committed by far-right groups. Why are they not targeted by surveillance and profiling?
Farhana Shahid, Los Angeles, California: ‘I especially fear for what will happen to my children’Farhana Shahid, Los Angeles, California: ‘I especially fear for what will happen to my children’
I am deeply offended and concerned by Senator Ted Cruz’s plan to “intensify surveillance of Muslim neighborhoods”. I live in one of the neighborhoods that he would want to target: the South Bay area of Los Angeles. I have been residing in my community for 25 years. I am a Muslim woman, an immigrant from Pakistan and a mother of three children. I have been a citizen of this country for 20 years.I am deeply offended and concerned by Senator Ted Cruz’s plan to “intensify surveillance of Muslim neighborhoods”. I live in one of the neighborhoods that he would want to target: the South Bay area of Los Angeles. I have been residing in my community for 25 years. I am a Muslim woman, an immigrant from Pakistan and a mother of three children. I have been a citizen of this country for 20 years.
Since 9/11 we have seen intense scrutiny of my community and harassment of my family members. My husband drives a taxi in Los Angeles and on numerous occasions has been subjected to discriminatory and racist language. Last year my son was travelling on a buddy pass on United Airlines and was treated rudely and in a demeaning way by the gate agent.Since 9/11 we have seen intense scrutiny of my community and harassment of my family members. My husband drives a taxi in Los Angeles and on numerous occasions has been subjected to discriminatory and racist language. Last year my son was travelling on a buddy pass on United Airlines and was treated rudely and in a demeaning way by the gate agent.
My children are all born in the United States. I worry about their future, but comments by our leaders and potential future presidents worry me the most. I especially fear for what will happen to my children if Senator Cruz or people like him become the President of United States. My children are all born in the United States. I worry about their future, but comments by our leaders and potential future presidents worry me the most. I especially fear for what will happen to my children if Senator Cruz or people like him become the president of United States.
Shame on him. Cruz claims his intention is to represent all people in the United States yet he sends a message of hate and suspicion of a whole community that is peaceful and law-abiding.Shame on him. Cruz claims his intention is to represent all people in the United States yet he sends a message of hate and suspicion of a whole community that is peaceful and law-abiding.
Saeed Ahmed Khan, Detroit, Michigan: ‘Muslims in metropolitan Detroit are used to demonization and defamation’Saeed Ahmed Khan, Detroit, Michigan: ‘Muslims in metropolitan Detroit are used to demonization and defamation’
The Detroit area, where I am from, is home to a diverse, 100,000-strong Muslim community. Along with Dearborn, there is also Hamtramck, the first and only American city with a Muslim-majority elected city council. Muslims reside in every zip code, every suburb of this metropolis, working, studying and interacting with their neighbors, as they have for several decades.The Detroit area, where I am from, is home to a diverse, 100,000-strong Muslim community. Along with Dearborn, there is also Hamtramck, the first and only American city with a Muslim-majority elected city council. Muslims reside in every zip code, every suburb of this metropolis, working, studying and interacting with their neighbors, as they have for several decades.
Truth matters, and here is some for Mr Cruz: there has not been a single known case of an Isis recruit coming from the Metro-Detroit area. His call for police surveillance is as superfluous as it is bigoted. The police do come to the Muslim community – not for prosecution or persecution, but for cooperation, consultation and collaboration.Truth matters, and here is some for Mr Cruz: there has not been a single known case of an Isis recruit coming from the Metro-Detroit area. His call for police surveillance is as superfluous as it is bigoted. The police do come to the Muslim community – not for prosecution or persecution, but for cooperation, consultation and collaboration.
True civic engagement, through trust and mutual respect, between law enforcement and citizens is known to work. But it is a formula alien to Senator Cruz, as he instills and exploits fear in the American public for political gain and ambition.True civic engagement, through trust and mutual respect, between law enforcement and citizens is known to work. But it is a formula alien to Senator Cruz, as he instills and exploits fear in the American public for political gain and ambition.
Muslims in metropolitan Detroit are used to demonization and defamation; Ted Cruz is but the latest to smear an entire community and region. Last year, Frank Gaffney, now one of Cruz’s advisors claimed that Dearborn, home to the largest concentration of Arabs outside the Middle East, was a no-go zone for non-Muslims. That is patently not true. The only no-go we’d like to see is racism, profiling and discrimination. Muslims in metropolitan Detroit are used to demonization and defamation; Ted Cruz is but the latest to smear an entire community and region. Last year, Frank Gaffney, now one of Cruz’s advisers claimed that Dearborn, home to the largest concentration of Arabs outside the Middle East, was a no-go zone for non-Muslims. That is patently not true. The only no-go we’d like to see is racism, profiling and discrimination.
Yasmine Allie, Dearborn, Michigan: ‘I live my version of the American Dream’Yasmine Allie, Dearborn, Michigan: ‘I live my version of the American Dream’
I am a 19-year-old university student who lives in Dearborn, Michigan, a city whose population is made up of roughly 40% Arab-American Muslims. My community members come from a variety of countries in the Middle East and belong to a variety of sects of Islam.I am a 19-year-old university student who lives in Dearborn, Michigan, a city whose population is made up of roughly 40% Arab-American Muslims. My community members come from a variety of countries in the Middle East and belong to a variety of sects of Islam.
A part of me wants to let Cruz bring in all the law enforcement he wants just so he can see what a loving, loyal, successful and American neighborhood we are. Yet another part of me does not want to give up my inalienable rights and freedoms just to prove what is already clear as day.A part of me wants to let Cruz bring in all the law enforcement he wants just so he can see what a loving, loyal, successful and American neighborhood we are. Yet another part of me does not want to give up my inalienable rights and freedoms just to prove what is already clear as day.
As a third generation Arab-American Muslim girl, I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to ballet class and eating TV dinners. I live my version of the American Dream – the same dream that brought my great-grandparents to America. When they came, they were promised protection, equality and security under the law of the land, something that was not offered in their home land. As a third generation Arab-American Muslim girl, I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to ballet class and eating TV dinners. I live my version of the American dream – the same dream that brought my great-grandparents to America. When they came, they were promised protection, equality and security under the law of the land, something that was not offered in their home land.
Three generations later and a potential commander-in-chief is abusing that same law system to make me feel violated, shunned and unwelcome in my own home. Rather than feeling protected, I feel now as if I am what people need protection from. If my great grandparents were still here, I wonder what they would feel. Probably just what I do: disappointment.Three generations later and a potential commander-in-chief is abusing that same law system to make me feel violated, shunned and unwelcome in my own home. Rather than feeling protected, I feel now as if I am what people need protection from. If my great grandparents were still here, I wonder what they would feel. Probably just what I do: disappointment.