We Reject Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban

We+Reject+Donald+Trump%E2%80%99s+Muslim+Ban

NYU Syrian Refugee Awareness, Guest Editorial

We are a group of angry, organized and unapologetic students at NYU, and we’re calling you out, Donald.

A ban called by any other name is still a ban. Whether it be named Executive Order 13769 Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States or referred to as extreme vetting, your delusions about immigrants will not fool us, regardless of what labels you use. Now let’s get the record straight.

Your Muslim ban is a ban. It is a ban that you yourself have referred to as a ban, a ban that your surrogates have called a ban, a ban that you had promised on your campaign trail to ignite hateful sentiment and exploit xenophobic fears of regular Americans. Start owning up to it.

Your Muslim ban is inherently discriminatory. Your attempts to sanitize your own policies are futile because we know both the impact and intent of your ban are to discriminate whether or not the word Muslim is used.

Your Muslim ban tramples on human rights. It arbitrarily denies entry to individuals because of their country of origin. We are all entitled to human rights on the basis of our humanity — not our religion, immigration status or nationality.

Your Muslim ban violates the principle of the presumption of innocence. It assumes the guilt of entire populations and places the burden of proof on them. That’s un-American.

Your Muslim ban is illegal under international refugee law. The United States is a signatory to the Refugee Convention, and that means we are obligated to take in refugees. Educate yourself, Donald.

Your Muslim ban is inhumane. It has torn families apart and separated loved ones.

Your Muslim ban endangers real people. The utter disregard you have for human life, especially for those from the most vulnerable communities around the world, is repulsive for someone who holds the highest office in our land.

Your Muslim ban reduces individuals to a single religious or national identity without viewing them as they truly are — whole beings who possess many traits and characteristics.

Your Muslim ban perpetuates the conflation of Muslims and refugees with terrorism, which is a dangerous and misguided generalization that should be challenged and unlearned.

Your Muslim ban is an exercise of poor research. You are targeting Muslims and people of color without substantial evidence of any danger to our society.

Your Muslim ban goes against the very logic of your own arguments for better national security. You are ruining our international credibility and our foreign relations. Stop tweeting. Ask actual security officials. Ignore Steve Bannon.

Your Muslim ban demands stricter requirements regarding refugee resettlement in the United States, despite the fact that refugees already face the most stringent processes and pass through security checks that can range from 18 to 36 months.

Your Muslim ban renders American values of freedom and opportunity as false empty promises.

We are against your Muslim ban, and any other ban, wall or raid that infringes on the human rights of people. As students participating in Syrian Refugee Awareness Week and other solidarity movements at NYU, we are appalled by the blatant racism and xenophobia you are attempting to normalize in our country. We reject your vision of America, which sees White America as the only form of greatness. We see a better America than that — an inclusive one that espouses real freedom, opportunity and human rights for all people.

And we see you, Donald. We know your dangerous rhetoric. We will resist you to the end.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.
Syrian Refugee Awareness Week is a weeklong series of advocacy-based events at New York University with the purpose of encouraging critical dialogue on the Syrian Refugee crisis and the challenges facing displaced populations around the world. Our goal is to create tangible actions on campus to organize our community in solidarity with all refugees. Follow @NYUSRAWeek on Twitter and Facebook.