opinion piece: I am still not hopeful after the Muslim ban repeal

Emerald stowe 1/22/2020

After the repeal of the Muslim ban by 46th President Joseph R Biden I have seen online comments that say oh that is such a big step for the Muslim community and immigrants or the muslin ban is gone now finely.

For me as a Muslim women I feel a lot differently, as a Muslim women in this country it is most differently not over for Muslims, as the effects will still linger in one form or another. After all the ban give Islamophobic, racists, and people that was kind to us but still harbor Islamophobic thoughts towards the Muslim community. The permission to be discriminatory and Islamophobic towards me and my Muslim brothers and sisters for being from the social “wrong” religion was ban for a reason right. We do not want any of the enemies in our own country that mindset will not go away after just repealing one ban that was made to oppress black and brown Muslims and non Muslims. This will not change a Islamophobic and racist mindset after just doing one act aimed in the direction of change. This is why I remain unhopeful and admittedly unwilling to engage in “unity” and “good” faith. The very same people who want to oppress me and other Muslims with their vacuous racism towards Rashida Talb and Ilhan Omar calling her a terrorist saying that no Muslim should ever run for office.

All this leading me to ask myself why? Why am I told to engage nonsensical fake good faith engagement with those very same racist Islamophobic people who see me a Muslim Hijabi woman as a Terrorist just like they see Muslim women serving the senate, those very same racist who tell us Muslim to assimilate into civil society but when we go beyond that and actually by Allah’s will get jobs in the White House. They still say we are terrorists, we need to be banned from their country, that we are savages that support sharia and all other racist propagate which creates a fear to fuel bans like the one America had.

So no I am not going to work with them, nor heal with my Islamophobic oppressors, no I will not give a cookie to anyone for lifting America’s Muslim ban, even though I still do find myself trying to be more optimistic. trying to make myself be more hopeful than I am that with time things will get better for Muslims in the country but in the meantime, I will continue resisting and fighting by wearing my hijab and my Arabic Islamic jewelry’. unapologetically showing to the world, saying that I am a proud Muslim who will not be so easily broken by the hate that fueled our country’s Muslim ban and will try to grow from this experience.