I am a Muslim-American and a peacebuilder. In
the aftermath of a polarizing election season, an
onslaught of violent hate crimes and hate speech,
and proposed policies threatening human rights, I am
wrestling with maintaining my commitment to both
roles and identities.
I am deeply troubled by the racist, sexist, xenophobic,
homophobic, ableist, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic
rhetoric and violence that has been on the rise since
this past fall. In my hometown of South Brunswick, New
Jersey, the school board election signs of a respected,
female, Muslim leader were defaced with the phrases
“ISIS,” “Rag Head,” “Oppressor,” and “anti-American.”
These trends in our communities threaten the human
dignity that both America and Islam seek to protect
and preserve.
But ignoring what led us to this point today will not
serve any of us well, nor will a refusal to engage with
the “political other.” This election season and its results
have exposed deep divides and the absence of relationships across ideological lines. Many individuals on
each “side” are trying to communicate their experiences, their fears, and their hopes to those on the
other. As I said immediately proceeding the election
results: unless every person who voted for our president is racist, sexist, or xenophobic (which I do not
believe is statistically plausible), there must be other
factors compelling their votes for him. Likewise, those
who are experiencing immense fear, pain, and trauma
from Trump’s presidency, from some of his rhetoric
and policies, and from that of some of his partisans,
need to be heard and recognized by those who voted
for him. Continuing to shut our eyes, ears, and hearts to
one another will continue the polarization that brought
us to where we are today.
The dehumanization of Republicans by Democrats
and of Democrats by Republicans undermines the
pluralism that constitutes both America and Islam.
As divided, fearful, and hurt as many of us are, we all
still share in the responsibility of what happens to
ourselves and one another in the months and years
ahead. A college mentor of mine commented recently
that the price of being an American is tolerance and
protection of people we have disagreements with over
the issues that matter most. This is a choice each of
us faces when we encounter someone whose background, belief, or ideology differs from our own.
That being said, there is a very clear and nonnego-
tiable line between a difference of opinion and hatred.
My encouragement to engage with the political other
is in no way meant to ignore, excuse, normalize, or
justify any and all hate speech, violence, and policies
that threaten the human rights of the minority and
vulnerable populations in our country. Rather, the
point I hope to make is that at the interpersonal level,
each of us has the choice to engage with one another
at a level beyond hostility and tolerance, and with
curiosity and compassion in its wake. In addition to
ongoing engagement with local and national politics,
this is also where our empowerment and potential
can be most impactful.
I am finding many of my progressive, liberal, and
Democratic friends unwilling to speak to or even recognize the other side, as if having any connection or
communication equals accepting or condoning what
some (not all) of Trump’s supporters are doing. One
friend referred to Trump voters as “dogs needing to
be tamed.” There are stories, pains, and hopes behind
others’ positions that we often cannot see at the surface. This is what I strive to remember in the wake of
an unprecedented and unexpected outcome to an
election season that has introduced new levels of
polarization, pain, and fear, leaving many of us afraid
and uncertain of what lies ahead.
The needs of an unheard portion of our country have
finally been recognized; it is deeply unfortunate and
concerning for the other half (and ought to be for us
all) that this occurred at the compromise of the safety
and well-being of another portion of our country, and
within the context of unprecedented public prejudice,
violence, and threatening policies.
I wonder at what point I may be coined a self-hating
Muslim child of immigrants for suggesting the human-
ity of the other side. But everything I am saying here
comes from my training and studies in mediation and
conflict resolution. While recognizing and not denying
nor excusing the real harm that has been done and is
still ongoing amid our country’s jihad (an Arabic term
meaning internal struggle), the best tool that media-
tors have to offer to parties in conflict is the question:
“How do we wish to move forward now?”
In this time of divisive politics and dehumanization,
we each still have the power to decide individually how
we engage with those who differ from ourselves in
thought, word, and deed. It is our choice, always, as are
the consequences of that choice.
Indeed, those choices are what led us to where we
are today: polarization, fear, prejudice. It is now up to us
to determine how we move forward — and each of us
must choose.
About the Author
SAADIA
AHMAD
is a recent graduate
of the Conflict
Resolution Master's
program at UMass
Boston, where
she focused on
interfaith dialogue,
faith-based
peacebuilding, and
relations between
Muslims and non-Muslims. While at
UMass she received
the Peace Education
Prize from the El
Hibri Foundation
for her work in
interfaith dialogue
and understanding.
She is also a
2014 graduate of
Providence College.
by
Saadia Ahmad
