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Community activists stated that after the 9/11 attacks, Muslim Americans were stigmatized, discriminated against and viewed as enemies in their own countries.
Over the next 20 years, despite the U.S. government’s plans for its communities and the rise of social and political prejudice, Muslim American They consolidated their identities and opened up space for themselves in the mainstream political structure.
They became more compelling and active politically. Experts told Al Jazeera that this is a way to deal with challenges, similar to a self-defense mechanism.
Moustafa Bayoumi, a writer and professor at Brooklyn College, stated that although there have always been Muslims in the United States, Muslim-U.S. political identity was mainly formed after 9/11 in response to “biased break out”.
“Muslims in the United States realize that no one will protect them except themselves,” Bayumi said.
He said that before September 11, 2001, almost no one generally recognized American Muslims as a group.
“Once you see organized social hostility, then your identity will respond-as a way not only to protect yourself, but to gain space for yourself,” Bayumi told Al Jazeera.
Increase participation
In the past two decades, Muslims have become a mainstream political force—as voters, organizers, and candidates. This political advantage has always been an ongoing process, and with each election cycle, the number of Muslim candidates and voters in the United States is increasing.
From city councils and school boards to state legislatures to the congress halls, more and more Muslim Americans have been seeking and winning public office.
Petra Alsoofy, outreach and partnership manager at the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), a think tank focused on the Muslim community, said that in the past two decades, there has been “great progress” in the participation of Muslim American citizens.
She cited ISPU’s research, which showed an increase in voter registration and overall political participation, including donations and volunteering for election campaigns and the number of Muslim candidates.
According to a ISPU research, Muslim U.S. voter registration has increased from 60% in 2016 to 78% in 2020.
Alsoofy credits voter registration campaigns and community organizers for helping increase the number of Muslim voters. She said another factor is the Muslim candidates mobilizing their own communities.
“They really give people the courage to see people who look like them and sound like them in the elected office,” Alsoofy said.
With Muslims Become a voting group, Politicians recognize them.Joe Biden Released a platform Serving the Muslim community in the United States before last year’s election.
He also addressed two Muslim groups as the Democratic presidential candidate.
“As President, I will work with you to remove the poison of hatred from our society, respect your contribution and seek your ideas,” Biden said at a virtual event for Muslim advocates last October.
“My government will look like America, serving Muslim Americans at all levels.”
Although Muslim Americans did not serve at “all levels” of government, Biden appointed The first Muslim federal judge Earlier this year.
He also nominated Chizr KhanHe is the father of a US military captain who died in Iraq and a member of the US International Religious Freedom Commission.
In February of this year, Sameera Fazili, deputy director of the National Economic Council, made headlines when wearing a headscarf at a White House press conference to speak on Biden’s economic policies.
Muslims in Congress
Keith Ellison was elected as the first Muslim member of Congress in 2006. Andre Carson followed in 2008.
Ten years later, Ilhan Omar-a former Somali refugee wearing a headscarf-succeeded Ellison, who ran for attorney general in Minnesota, a statewide campaign.In the same election cycle, Omar joined Rashida Treb Detroit, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants.
All four are campaigning in areas with a large number of Democrats. Last year, American Muslim lawyer and writer Qasim Rashid (Qasim Rashid) sought a seat in Congress in a conservative constituency.
He said current member of Congress Rob Wittman made Rasheed’s faith the “core” of his campaign.
Rashid told Al Jazeera: “He took an attack that linked me to terrorism, activism, and extremism-it was just a ridiculous and dangerous thing that caused me to be threatened.” “So, unfortunately, This is a factor in today’s political reality.”
Witman has repeatedly denied attacking opponents’ beliefs, but one of his campaign ads lashed out at Rashid’s previous tweets, which criticized the increase in military budgets to hype the threat of Muslim terrorism.
“Rashid claimed that the United States was responsible for terrorist attacks, laughed at the deaths of Americans killed by extremists, furiously opposed the rebuilding of our military, and promised that he would become a member of Congress like AOC and Bernie Sanders,” the advertisement said.
Keith Ellison, now serving as Minnesota’s attorney general, was elected as the first Muslim member of Congress in 2006 [File: Alex Wong/Getty Images via AFP]All said and done, Wittman won decisively, but Rashid won nearly 187,000 votes-far more than previous Democratic challengers in the region.
Rashid said Islamophobia should not discourage Muslim Americans seeking public office.
“We can overcome this-investing in the community through organization, education, interpersonal relationships, through participation in the community, and earning and earning trust and hearts.”
Diversified community
Rashid emphasized that although Muslims are considered more prominent on the national stage today, their history is as old as the country itself-most of the enslaved people brought to the United States from Africa are considered Muslims.
Recently, Muslim sports icons such as basketball star Karim Abdul-Jabbar and boxer Muhammad Ali have dominated their respective fields. Before being assassinated in 1965, Malcolm X was a major figure fighting for the rights of African Americans.
“Without Muslims, there would be no America—never—” Rashid said. “The foundation of American infrastructure and its roads and bridges was built by African Muslims.”
Activists have been working hard to break the stereotype of Muslims as Arab or South Asian immigrants, emphasizing that African-Americans make up a large portion of the Muslim American population.
The American Muslim community is indeed diverse-immigrants, natives, blacks, whites, Latinos, working class and white-collar professionals, covering a range of nationalities, sects, and ideologies.
“Due to the policy after 9/11, Muslims were racialized into browns, foreigners, other people, immigrants, refugees,” Darakshan Raja, co-director and founder of the advocacy organization “Muslim Collective Justice” Raja) said. group.
Raja talked about the shift in political views and radicalism among Muslim Americans.
She said that a new generation of organizers is getting rid of defenses and trying to prove that Muslims are a more confrontational approach to universal justice.
Raja told Al Jazeera: “We now have a generation of young people whose demands are more radical and progressive.” “Therefore, there is no longer a major way of contacting the government, that is, appeasement, apology or begging to be treated as human beings. “
What’s the next step?
As Muslim Americans move forward and continue to move away from the national security lens placed on them, advocates say their communities are moving beyond the post-9/11 era.
Professor Bayumi said that Muslim Americans will deal with common challenges in other communities in the country-access to health care and economic issues.
“At the same time, I think there will be a lot of questions about immigration and refugees,” he added, referring to the opposition of right-wing politicians to the resettlement of Afghans and the Syrian refugee crisis a few years ago. .
Bayumi added that he hopes that Muslim Americans can rethink U.S. foreign policy and Military activity In Muslim-majority countries.
He said: “We must move towards the United States and have a smaller military footprint in parts of the Muslim world where they are currently located.” “And I think if the American Muslim community can become part of a successful advocacy campaign to end the war on terror, then It will definitely become a force.”
Raja said the Muslim community faces internal challenges centered on its own diversity.
“We still have work to do, how do we truly respect that we are a multi-racial, multi-class, and very diverse community,” she said.
Alsoofy of ISPU responded to Raja’s comment. “Within the Muslim community in the U.S.—just as it happened elsewhere in the United States— [we] There needs to be a dialogue around making sure we embrace all voices,” she said.
She added that another ongoing effort is shaping the perception of Muslim Americans—from responding to stereotypes and condemning terrorism to expressing their own stories and struggles as part of society.
“In addition to the headlines, we can share more of who we are as human beings… We can see American Muslim doctors talking about the pandemic; we can talk about poverty in American Muslim communities in a normal way, without having to hear that we are Show negative stories about yourself,” she said.
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