How Muslims are using social media to reclaim their faith
When Marwa Balkar learned of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump鈥檚 support of a tracking database for Muslims, she decided she would not take his remarks lying down.
鈥淲hen I first heard Donald Trump鈥檚 comments, I wasn鈥檛 shocked because I feel like it was something Donald Trump would say,鈥� in an interview Tuesday. 鈥淏ut鈥� I realized that just because Donald Trump is saying something that Donald Trump would say, does not make it all right. And I鈥檓 not going to be the one to tolerate it.鈥�
In response, Ms. Balkar penned defending her identity as both a Muslim and an American, and challenging Mr. Trump to embrace tolerance and understanding. The letter 鈥� since shared more than 140,000 times 鈥� highlights social media鈥檚 power to give voice to the fear of backlash that Muslims face in the wake of terrorist attacks from groups who claim to perpetrate violence in the name of Islam, and their struggle to distance themselves from such acts.
Whenever a high-profile attack makes headlines, 鈥淭he everyday Muslim, they鈥檙e thinking, 鈥楬ere we go again,鈥� 鈥� said Edgar Hopida of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), based in Plainfield, Ind., to the Monitor following the Nov. 13 Paris massacres. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a fire drill. It鈥檚 time to hide under the table again.鈥�
Indeed, in the aftermath of the attacks, mosques across the country faced vandalism and threats of violence. A largely partisan debate took place around the US government鈥檚 plans to resettle as many as 10,000 Syrian refugees 鈥� majority of whom practice Islam 鈥� over the next year.
Then at a campaign event in Iowa on Nov. 20, Trump that he 鈥渨ould certainly implement鈥� a database system tracking Muslims in the US. 鈥淭here should be a lot of systems, beyond databases,鈥� he added. "We should have a lot of systems."
Instead of hiding, Balkar fired back on Facebook.
鈥淚 heard you wanted us to start wearing ID badges, so I decided to choose one for myself,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淚 chose the peace sign because it represents my #Islam. The one that taught me to oppose #injustice and yearn for #unity. The one that taught me that killing one innocent life is equivalent to killing humanity.鈥�
She invited Trump to the charity events she attends and interfaith dinners held at her local mosque, adding, 鈥淢aybe then you'll see that me being Muslim doesn't make me any less American than you are. Maybe if you walk in my footsteps, you can see that I am not any less human than you are.鈥�
Others have since taken to social media to counter Trump鈥檚 comments 鈥� and change perceptions about what it means to be Muslim. In an echo of the broader , the #MuslimID campaign saw doctors, lawyers, journalists, students, and others posted images of ID cards that showed their professions.
鈥淚 take care of our vets, the underinsured, the indigent 鈥� proud to carry my #MuslimID,鈥� tweeted Mariam Nawas, a doctor based in California.
鈥淧roud former Congressional staffer. Media pro, grad student, Jersey girl. Here鈥檚 your #MuslimID @realDonaldTrump,鈥� wrote Zainab Chaudary.
Other politicians, including Trump鈥檚 rival candidates, have since blasted the idea of a Muslim registry.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called the suggestion 鈥渙utrageous and bigoted,鈥� while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson said that tracking a particular group based on religion sets 鈥渁 pretty dangerous precedent.鈥� Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called the prospect of a database abhorrent, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has generally kept from criticizing Trump during the 2016 campaign, said, "I'm not a fan of government registries of American citizens."
Trump himself has also backed away from his support of the idea, though he has clarified that he stands behind surveillance of refugees coming in from Syria as well as of certain mosques.
For young Muslims like Balkar, however, the message that groups such as the Islamic State do not represent their faith and identity transcends the words of one politician.
鈥淎ll these extremists are not me,鈥� she . 鈥淭hat's not my religion. I'm tired [of] people claiming to do these horrific attacks in the name of Islam.鈥�
