Muslim Americans Are Already Wary Of Traveling — And Trump's Taunts Don't Help

By Tasmiha Khan


For several Muslim ladies — and especially those of us who observe hijab, an outward indication of our faith — traveling can feel like an insurmountable ordeal. If I fly, I habitually schedule in additional time at the airport, because no matter how early I am, the airport personnel generally decides I should be “randomly checked.” It happens also frequently for me to imagine it random, and often feels like it’s a decision they made because of who I am.


It’s not just Muslim people who observe hijab, either — Muslim people overall are wary of traveling. There have already been countless airline instances of Muslims being profiled just for being Muslim and appearing foreign by xenophobic standards. It is no surprise that about 48% Muslims mentioned they had experienced at least one instance of dicrimination between 2016 and 2017.


case in point, we’re wary about a lot of things: A 2017 poll from the Pew Statistics Center shows that Muslims, particularly Muslim girls, mention it’s getting tougher to be Muslim in the U.S. You needn’t look far to understand why, as among a slew of egregious Islamophobic stances contained by the current administration, now-President Trump mentioned in a 2015 campaign statement that he would seek a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” capitalizing on anti-Muslim sentiment that has been brewing for years. That same year, he threatened to implement a database to track Muslims in the U.S.; And in 2017, he signed an executive order trying to block travel from a few Muslim-majority countries.


So on August 15, whenever the President supported and even encouraged Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block the two first Muslim women to serve In the
U.S. Congress from entering the nation, it felt uncomfortably on brand.


The block was mired with nuances and we can analyze the actions of both sides for days. Among other flags is this: The mere optics of this most recent instance of the federal government asserting power over minority ladies on an international scale reignites and underscores a deep pain that’s been building inside of the Muslim community for years.


Trump’s underlying message, like so several other decisions he and his administration have made, is one of division. He’s alienating one categorize of people, as he does day in and out with any given sort. Yet this particular targeting is also indicative of the specialized vitriol he has contained for the Congresswomen since before day one. Tlaib promised to impeach Trump; he shot back with exaggeration and lies. Omar made and apologized for missteps; he exacerbated the allocate and spread lies about her. That his anger has seemingly noticed concentrate on girls of color is one thing; that he appears to hold the highest contempt for two Muslim girls of color only makes things worse for those of us already facing a rapid rise in profiling.


We know from the past that smaller sparks light bigger flames of discord. Once I already am concerned about traveling using public transportation, the recent block of Tlaib and Omar makes me resemble even further: What if I am randomly stopped midway Whenever I am enroute to my destination? What if I never make it? Will I be singled out just because I am wearing hijab? These questions come with the territory of wearing my headscarf. Right now more than ever, attacks on public Muslim figures heighten my apprehension.


And I’m not alone. “When I am checked at security, I get patted down and all that,” Summer*, a college freshman who wears hijab, tells MTV News. Although once she admits “the additional checks compared to other people make me mad,” the security checks don’t necessarily make her anxious. “Overall, there really is far less fear and more anger,” she adds.


Durdana*, a recent college graduate, feels differently. “I avoid flying if I can,” she says. “The ‘security’ is biased towards hijabi women.”


While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says that “screening is conducted without regard to a person’s race, color, sex, gender identity, national origin, religion or disability,” subconscious bias can still creep in. In December 2017, 14 different hijabi ladies missed their flights from Newark International Airport in New Jersey because they were pulled out of the security line by airport staff; they later alleged that the personnel had targeted them specifically because they observed hijab. And Whenever I appreciate that groups like the ACLU have created tips advising Muslims of their rights while traveling, the fact that this material needs to exist at all is disheartening in its own way.  That we need to take additional wariness at all is further proof that things need to change — and that the burden should not fall on us alone to protect ourselves once we’ve done nothing wrong.


Israel barred two Muslim Congresswomen from visiting a particular nation, however Trump’s passionate support goes so much further, and speaks to the administration’s larger, concerted attack on their Muslim identity, and the identiities of people like them. To be dismissive and pretend such open discord is an isolated supply magnifies the scenario, and gives room for such circumstances to recur. We’ve seen this happen before, plus it will happen again. I also know that we can stop it, by speaking up against such blatant profiling. That work will need an effort from all of us.


*Last names have been omitted at interviewees request.