Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

altmuslim

Home
Muslim
#IStandWithAhmed – The Time to End Anti-Black, Anti-Muslim, Anti-Humanity Hysteria is Now

#IStandWithAhmed – The Time to End Anti-Black, Anti-Muslim, Anti-Humanity Hysteria is Now

Last updated on: September 18, 2015 at 3:47 pm by Guest Contributor

#IStandWithAhmed – The Time to End Anti-Black, Anti-Muslim, Anti-Humanity Hysteria is Now 2015-09-18T15:47:51-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Zainab Chaudry

It’s not easy being a genius in America. Especially if you’re a young, black male who also happens to be Muslim.

Just ask fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed. The story about the egregious treatment of the bright, high school freshman who assembles radios and understands circuit boards and power supplies better than most adults has gone viral.

In case you somehow missed it, Ahmed assembled a homemade digital clock. He was excited to show off his talents to his new engineering teacher. So he packed it up and took it to school.

What happened next stunned him, shocked his family, took social media by storm, garnered international media attention and gained him legions of supporters who’ve rejected intolerance and expressed their solidarity with him.

Wearing a gray t-shirt emblazoned with NASA’s logo, the bespectacled freshman, whose family hails from Sudan, proudly presented his invention to his teacher.

He did not anticipate that his invention would lead him to be suspended from school, interrogated without a parent or attorney present, arrested and subsequently transported to a juvenile detention center to be fingerprinted and photographed.

Yet, that’s exactly what happened.

As we grapple with school administrators’ and law enforcement officers’ outrageous, abominable response, Muslims find ourselves asking this question: Would Ahmed have been subjected to this traumatizing experience had he not been a black Muslim teen with the last name Mohamed?

The answer is a resounding no.

We know many other students have also built clocks and even inert bombs and taken them to school. They were not criminalized, suspended, humiliated, degraded and traumatized.

They were also not black Muslim students with a Muslim-sounding name. There’s little doubt that discriminatory racial and religious profiling both played a big role in how Ahmed was treated.

Ahmed revealed in interviews that his interrogation and subsequent arrest made him feel “like he wasn’t human.” He said he felt like he was “a criminal.”

The dehumanization of black and Muslim youth manifests in different ways, but the conversation surrounding its detrimental effects would not be complete without addressing the distinct dichotomy that exists in the learning experiences of school-aged children in America.

Privileged children – who often are not black or Muslim – are taught to shoot for the stars. Their potential is nurtured. They are encouraged to pursue their dreams. They are instructed that there is no limit to what they can achieve.

They have access to critical tools and resources that foster growth. They receive praise and rewards for their accomplishments.

Black and Muslim children too often fall into the category of students who don’t enjoy the same privilege. They are often taught to remain firmly rooted in reality, grounded right here on Earth. They are may be instructed to operate within constrictive boundaries that stunt intellectual growth and lead them to achieve only a fraction of their potential.

They learn early on that they must work twice as hard to be considered half as good, and that even if they manage to somehow venture beyond their boundaries, they will still never be quite good enough.

They are trained to “know their place” and are conditioned to accept the status quo, even if it is unsatisfactory and means quelling their appetite for knowledge. They receive praise sparingly. Punishment is some cases is unwarranted, swift and too harsh.

This dichotomy, coupled with institutional racism endemic in many U.S. school systems, is the perfect storm for producing an educational experience for black and Muslim students that is designed to “dumb down” and rob them of their potential.

The silver lining in Ahmed’s case has been the public’s heartwarming response. As his story gained traction, the teen has been inundated with encouragement and support from strangers around the country.

#IStandWithAhmed trended on Twitter for hours and crowd funding campaigns have been launched to raise money to support Ahmed’s education and interests and to provide scholarships to STEM youth.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and even POTUS himself have joined the growing chorus of those unequivocally voicing their support for the young teen.

He has been invited to the White House for Astronomy Night next month and has been also invited to visit Google, NASA, Facebook, Harvard and even MIT, where he dreams of taking classes one day.

His appalling story has thankfully taken a turn for the better. But Ahmed could have been any number of teens around the country who frequently experience race or faith-based bullying, suspicion, discrimination, taunting and harassment from peers and educators.

Reports of such incidents are on the rise especially among American Muslims. One report released by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) revealed that almost half of that state’s Muslim students surveyed reported being subjected to some form of bias-based bullying.

CAIR has responded to numerous cases at the start of this school year alone where school administrators, teachers or board of education members have made or applauded derogatory and insulting racial and religious slurs. It is impossible to accurately measure the physical, mental and emotional toll that an intolerant learning environment can take on students who are often impressionable and influenced by peers and teachers. But we know that it impacts practically all aspects of their lives.

Equally concerning is the rising levels of anxiety and trepidation especially among Muslim parents who worry that their child’s name, race, gender, or even STEM major will invite unwarranted scrutiny and harassment.

The mayor of Irving, who has a history of supporting anti-Muslim views, has defended police officers and school administrators, saying they were following protocol and only doing their job to keep everyone safe.

But this is not the first instance in which Muslims in her jurisdiction have been marginalized or singled out. In 2014-15, the Texas state legislature considered nine anti-Islam bills. Two of these bills directly drew language from a template anti-Islam bill seen across the nation.

Anti-Muslim hysteria manifests in the form of discriminatory legislation, bullying, racial and religious profiling, political posturing and unwarranted surveillance – all of which do not make our country safe. Just look at how presidential hopeful Donald Trump responded when a supporter at a town-hall meeting asked him how they could rid the country of Muslims.

It just reinforces fears, perpetuates alienation, fosters resentment and makes our country more hostile and unfriendly for those who don’t meet the narrow, selective criteria of what some believe it means to be American. It also risks alienating youth in our communities by inspiring mistrust, jeopardizing their well-being, damaging their self-esteem and bolstering the platforms of those who would exploit them for personal gain.

It takes a village to raise a child. We are all part of one global village, and we all have a responsibility to protect, nurture and empower each child.

Regardless of race or religion, youth like Ahmed represent the future of our country and of our planet. How we prepare them and future generations to lead will determine the fate of both. The status quo that allows the tolerance of intolerance must change. Fear or prejudice can never justify the sort of intimidation tactics, discrimination and trauma endured by Ahmed or any of his peers.

These transgressions are happening on our watch, and we must work collectively to end them. Judging by the recent outpouring of love and support for Ahmed, the time to end them is now.

Zainab Chaudry is the Maryland Outreach Manager for CAIR, Council on American Islamic Relations, contributor to Altmuslim and soon to be a blogger on Patheos Muslim.

Previous Post

September 18, 2015

What Can We Learn From Pope Francis as Muslims?

Next Post

September 21, 2015 Lessons of the Hajj - Lessons for Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2012 Elections 30 Dayd 30 Writers (2017) 30 Days 30 Writers 30 Days 30 Writers (2015) 30 Days 30 Writers (2016) 30 Days 30 Writers (2018) 30 Days 30 Writers 2017 Ali Asadullah Ali Eteraz Alper Bilgili Arthur Richards Asides Asma Uddin Black History Month Briefings Charles Turner Commentary Cyrus McGoldrick Eman H Aly Fatimah Popal Hajj Hajj and Dhul Hijjah Hesham Hassaballa Hisham Hellyer Ibrahim Abusharif Inas Younis Irfan Yusuf Jalal Baig Junaid Afeef Laila Alawa Laila Alwala Mas'ood Cajee Muqtedar Khan Nakia Jackson Newsmakers Parvez Ahmed Podcasts Rabia Chaudry Rafia Zakaria Ramadan Reviews Safiyyah Ally Saud Inam Shahed Amanullah Svend White The Opinionated Oncologist Visions Wajahat Ali Zahed Amanullah Zahir Janmohamed Zainab Khan

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the Christian principle about speaking words?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Speak with love and grace Speak harshly Never speak Always be silent