Not visiting U.S. is personal protest

‘Muslim ban’ may not cover Canadians, but it’s still offensive and unwelcoming

Trips across the border used to mean shopping at K-Mart, loading up on Combos and filling our cooler with plastic jugs of milk. Those were only some of the things we’d buy when day tripping into the United States. Good weather typically meant packing a picnic basket, sun umbrella and beach toys to take down with us to the beaches of Plattsburgh, N.Y.

But that was then, and this is now. While Montreal may only be an hour’s drive away from the U.S. border, I have no intention of going there to shop, go to the beach or visit friends and family for the foreseeable future, due to the travel ban that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court this week.

As a Muslim Canadian, the ban does not affect me directly. The travel restriction, the Trump administration’s third iteration of what has become known as the “Muslim ban,” affects people from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. North Korea’s presence on the list seems gratuitous: North Koreans are hardly free to travel abroad. While Venezuela is officially on the list, a closer look reveals that the ban only applies to certain government officials and not the general population. That leaves five Muslim-majority countries.

It is abhorrent to think that the United States has largely disallowed travel from these countries. U.S. President Donald Trump has cited security reasons and a desire to stop the spread of terrorism to the United States. However, no individuals from these countries have committed any acts of terror on U.S. soil in the last 30-plus years.

Rather, this policy can be traced directly back to Trump’s call, while on the campaign trail in 2016, for a ban on Muslims from entering the United States. This version may not even target a majority of the world’s Muslims, but its roots in discrimination and prejudice are clear. I fear it may only be the beginning of what’s to come as it opens up the door for the U.S. president to add other countries to the list over time. This ban is not just a Muslim issue; it is an act of discrimination that affects us all.

When we first heard news of the Muslim ban, I was fairly certain that such a divisive, overtly biased policy would not make it past the U.S. Supreme Court. This week, I was proven wrong when the court, in a ruling based on whether Trump had the authority to do what he did and not on the merits of the policy, handed him a victory.

Even though this ban does not target me, it hardly makes me feel welcome. Nor do reports of increasingly invasive searches at the border.

Not going to the U.S. is my personal protest. Yes, I know I won’t change Trump’s behaviour, but I would much rather spend my money here; U.S. protectionism compounds that feeling. I am offended that Muslims are being portrayed as a security threat. The “Muslim ban” helps perpetuate an unfair association of Muslims with terrorists.

Institutionalized discrimination has an impact at a grassroots level. We’ve seen a direct increase in hate crimes targeting minorities when discriminatory policies are put in place by governments. I experienced this trickledown effect first hand back when former premier Pauline Marois proposed the Charter of Values here in Quebec. This sort of policy emboldens racists and those who discriminate to do so more overtly. It seems fear of the other now justifies the banning of the other.

In the true north strong and free this Canada Day long weekend, we have so much more to be thankful for. Rather than vacationing south of the border this summer, you can catch me grilling my tandoori chicken here at home.

Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed is the founder and editor in chief of CanadianMomEh.com, a lifestyle blog. twitter.com/canadianmomeh

It seems fear of the other now justifies the banning of the other.