By: Khawla A. Qureshi The Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of President Trump’s Travel Ban has shocked Muslims all across ...

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By: Khawla A. Qureshi

The Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of President Trump’s Travel Ban has shocked Muslims all across the globe. America has always been a nation of immigrants whose diverse backgrounds and ideas have helped build and develop it into the country it is today. With such a travel ban being enforced, it appears to be a direct attack on the Muslim community. Though there is no mention of religion in the words of the Travel Ban, this executive order has barred people from six Muslim-majority countries.

It is heartbreaking that families have been torn apart; wives have been separated from their husbands, sisters from their brothers, and children from their mothers. The purpose of this ban according to President Trump is to keep Americans safe from terrorists by barring visitors, refugees and immigrants from these countries. But currently it appears to be more of an illusion of security, which has cost America greatly by scarring its moral reputation. People from vast and immensely diverse backgrounds have led this nation to the greatness stands on today. There is a plethora of world changing people and families that arise from these banned countries, Steve Jobs’ biological father is of Syrian descent, the great scholar Vartan Gregorian is from Iranian descent, Jerry Seinfeld (Syrian descent) and many, many more. We can only guess who (or whose child) is being excluded now by this ban.

This has been an overwhelming time for humanity. So much confusion and chaos has ensued since the initial order was passed in January 2017. Initially the order barred people from seven majority-Muslim countries – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya – from entering the US for 90 days. Later, the executive order was revised in March 2017, removing Iraq from the list, after it agreed to boost co-operation with the U.S. Then in June 2017, the Supreme Court allowed that version of the order to take partial effect, against travelers without close links to the US.

In September 2017, a third version of the travel ban was issued, taking Sudan off the list but adding Chad, North Korea and Venezuelan government officials. And in June 2018 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of it.

Although the Trump administration has stated that it is not a Muslim ban, the stigma that has been increased illustrates that Muslims are not welcome in the United States.

This anti-Muslim sentiment has no place in a country that claims to value human rights, liberty, and freedom from prosecution. This ban is unjust and unconstitutional. The likelihood of being killed by a refugee terrorist in the U.S. is 1 in 3.6 billion. This ban has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with catering to prejudice, racism, and hatred from Muslims.  We can hope that the administration will revise or outright remove this executive order, however, unlikely that would be.