www.amperspective.com Online Magazine
Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2016)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
November 2016 - Page Three
Muslim-Americans receiving anonymous robocalls asking for religious affiliation
Nov 22: The New York Daily News reported today that several Muslim-Americans received mysterious robocalls asking them whether they identify as a follower of Islam, some of whom are citing the specter of a proposed Muslim registry as cause for alarm over the confounding calls. The robocall appear to have gone out in the past two days asking Muslim-Americans their religious affiliation and assuring them the call would “be kept strictly anonymous and confidential,” according to a Facebook post by Shamsiya Shervani. “Do you identify yourself as a MUSLIM, yes press one no press two,” the robocall asked, according to Shervani’s post. A 27-year-old man from outside of Philadelphia who wished to remain anonymous told the Daily News that he and his wife received the calls at the same time around 6 p.m. Monday. "I'm not sure how we were singled out, but the fact that we were is disturbing," he said, adding that he witnessed roughly 5 or 6 of his Muslim-American friends from the Philadelphia area who also received the calls. At least two other Muslim-Americans wrote on social media about receiving the robocalls in the past day. Marisa Stroud wrote on Facebook that she received an email on Monday night from a friend who received the call, reporting that no matter whether the call recipient pressed ‘yes’ or ‘no' in response to whether they identified as Muslim, the call hung up. The calls come amid reports of numerous acts of vandalization and violence against Muslim-Americans in the aftermath of the presidential election. As of Nov. 16, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported more than 700 hate crimes carried out since Election Day. Most of the incidents were designated as anti-immigrant, while 51 of them were anti-Muslim, according to tracking by SPLC. [The New York Daily News]
Arab American Uber Driver Called "Arab Terrorist" and "Sand N*****" on the Road
Nov 22: The land of dreams is becoming a land of racism for this Arab American who was called a “sand nigger” by a Trump supporter on the streets of Astoria. The U.S. has always been a diverse land, open to people from different nations. However, racism still exists among the most close-minded, shallow people can still surprise the country with their level of hatred and racism. Last week, a video went viral in which a white man insulted and verbally abused an Arab American motorist who was called: “sand nigger”, “Arab terrorist”, and “a loser”. The recipient kept calm, and didn’t say a word in return to the insults. Rather, he filmed the incident. The abuser showed no fear or hesitation to stop his tirade after learning that he was being recorded. The victim, Muhammed, moved to the U.S. from Morocco seven years ago. He did not record the video to report it as a hate crime and is still not sure if he will. He told the Washington Post that he recorded the incident because he was so shocked by the way this man behaved. Muhammed is an Uber driver, and after telling a client what happened that day, the client published the video to Facebook. Karim Metwaly, an Egyptian YouTube actor, posted the video, which has been shared over 60,000 times, and viewed by over a 5 million people. [Arab America]
Georgia Lawmaker recalls bill banning veil
Nov 25: Republican lawmaker in Georgia State Assembly, Jason Spencer, has abandoned his proposed legislation that would have effectively banned Muslim women from wearing burqas, niqabs or other veils that cover their faces in public. Spencer abandoned his bill because so many people spoke out against it quickly and forcefully. Spencer in a statement said “While this bill does not contain language that specifically targets any group, I am mindful of the perception that it has created. My objective was to address radical elements that could pose a threat to public safety.” While the withdrawal was hailed as a success story, many in the Muslim community worry that the upcoming legislative session will present more of the same. Soumaya Khalifa, founder of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta, called the proposed legislation “very un-American” and a warning to her community. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, attorney and executive director of the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his agency has already seen a spike in verbal assaults and bullying against Muslims and other minorities in local schools. “Some kids are afraid that teachers and administrators won’t do anything, so we have to make sure that kids feel comfortable speaking up,” he said. [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
'Trump will cleanse America': California mosques sent letters threatening genocide against Muslims
Nov 27: Three mosques in California were sent anonymous hate-mail warning them that Donald Trump would “cleanse” Muslims from the US the same way “Hitler did to the Jews.” The abusive letters have sparked new fears among Muslims, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said. The Muslim advocacy group called for “stepped-up” police protection of mosques after identical letters were sent to three mosques, calling for the genocide of Muslims earlier this week. The Islamic centers of Long Beach and Claremont, along with the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose, were sent the letters. “There’s a new sherriff [sic] in town – President Donald Trump,” part of the letter read. “He’s going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And, he’s going to start with you Muslims.” The letter ended with: “Long live President Trump and God bless the USA!”CAIR said there have been over 100 anti-Muslim incidents across America since the US election on November 8, and hundreds of reports of hate crimes against various minority groups were recorded by the Southern Poverty Law Center in recent weeks. [RT]
Stepped-up police protection sought after anti-Muslim, pro-trump letter sent to Rhodes Island mosque
Nov 30: The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA) today called for stepped-up police protection of local mosques after an anti-Muslim, hate-filled letter supporting President-elect Donald Trump was sent to Masjid Al-Kareem in Providence, Rhodes Island. The hate letter was addressed to the "Children of Satan.” The writer called Muslims a "vile and filthy people" and called on them to "pack your bags and get out of dodge." It also said that President-elect Donald Trump is "going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And, he's going to start with you Muslims” and "This is a great time for patriotic Americans. Long live President Trump and God bless the U.S.A." CAIR chapters nationwide have received reports of the same letter being sent to mosque in states. “This act of hate targeting a New England house of worship must be investigated by state and federal law enforcement authorities, and our state’s leaders should speak out against the growing anti-Muslim bigotry that inevitably leads to such incidents,” said CAIR-MA Executive Director Dr. John Robbins. CAIR’s national office has noted a spike in incidents targeting American Muslims and other minority groups since the November 8 presidential election. More than 100 anti-Muslim incidents have occurred across the country according to CAIR and more than 700 incidents targeting different minority groups have been documented by the Southern Poverty Law Center. [CAIR]
What Muslim Americans in Chicago are doing to prepare for a Trump Presidency
Nov 30: Ever since Donald Trump won the election earlier this month, many of the marginalized groups he targeted during his campaign have wondered what his presidency will mean for them. One group, in particular, is using this time to organize. The Council of American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, says it’s beefing up its legal team, promoting self-defense classes and encouraging Muslim Americans to learn their rights in the face of a Trump presidency. During his campaign, Trump vowed to ban all Muslims from entering the United States, promised to spy on mosques and said he would consider requiring a Muslim registry in America. More recently, his stance on these issues has blurred a bit, but many Muslim Americans are still preparing for the worst. Morning Shift talks to Hoda Katebi, communications director of CAIR-Chicago, about how she and her organization are preparing for the next four years. [Webez]
Muslim government officials huddle on ways to survive Trump
Nov 30: Muslim-Americans and other minorities holding national security jobs in the federal government fear for their futures under President-elect Donald Trump — enough so that some have held informal meetings to discuss how to protect themselves from potential anti-Muslim witch-hunts. The employees are on edge about everything from retaining their security clearances to the possibility of discriminatory treatment under Trump, whose top aides include known peddlers of conspiracy theories about Islamists infiltrating the U.S. government. Many, especially in the intelligence realm, fret that Trump's rhetoric and actions could undermine their work by damaging America's relationships overseas. The sudden anxiety is extraordinary after eight years of life under President Barack Obama, who made pursuing diversity in the federal ranks a national security priority. "I feel apprehensive," a Muslim intelligence official told POLITICO. "I fear that — whatever white power movement or equivalent all of a sudden feels empowered by the president-elect, whatever tidbits of that community make their way into government — at the most basic level people who are brown, Middle Eastern, Muslim or Sikh or whatever will either be looked at with a lens of suspicion or concern, or something more overt may take place." "Trump has inspired people to do things and to say things that make Muslims feel very fearful and very self-conscious, and that responsibility lies on him," said Jasmine El-Gamal, a Defense Department civil servant on a fellowship at The Atlantic Council. "That is what he’s created, and it will be up to him to address it, and he won’t be able to address it with just words.” [Politico]
Donald Trump’s administration could be planning a witch hunt against “political Islam”
Nov 30: When he was merely a presidential candidate, Donald Trump infamously suggested banning immigration from Muslim countries and requiring Muslims to wear identifying garments. Now that he’s president-elect, it looks like he is surrounding himself with exactly the kinds of advisors that advocates of civil liberties most feared. As Bloomberg reported today, Trump has the support of people like Lt. General Jerry Boykin, one of the founders of the Delta Force and a military leader whose endorsement Trump openly touted back in September. During an interview on a podcast called “Secure Freedom Radio,” Boykin suggested that President Trump will purge “people inside the government that are known to have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and its front groups and its entities here in America.” This wasn’t an idle comment. As Bloomberg also reported, in one of Trump’s main policy speeches in August, he openly argued that America was engaged in an ideological war against political Islam, one that would require the government to screen immigrants for individuals who might “believe that Sharia law should supplant American law.” This Islamophobic mentality is shared by Trump advisers like retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s pick for national security advisor, who has even argued that jihadists can be tied to China and North Korea; Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick for Attorney General, who has advocated a Cold War-esque policy of “containment” to fight jihadism; and retired Gen. James Mattis, widely considered to be a front-runner for secretary of defense, who in 2015 told the Heritage Foundation that ISIS’s geopolitical strategy was based on the assumption that “the Americans will not ask one fundamental question . . . Is political Islam in the best interest of the United States?” Perhaps the most problematic of Trump’s potential advisers is Frank Gaffney (host of the “Secure Freedom Radio” podcast in which Boykin made his ominous prediction), a former Pentagon official during the 1980s who is currently advising the Trump transition team. In addition to questioning whether Barack Obama was “America’s first Muslim president,” Gaffney has been infamous for insisting that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the American government on multiple levels. To combat this unproved threat, he has called for the Muslim Brotherhood to be labeled as a terrorist group so that the government could be empowered to investigate a large number of Muslim nonprofit organizations, based on even the allegation of a tenuous relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood. Gaffney has even repeatedly opposed nominating American Muslims to local and state-level government positions by accusing them of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. [Salon]
2016: January February March April May June
July August September October November December