We Need to Uphold Our Civil Liberties Despite the Muslim Ban

The No Ban Act is considered to be the first piece of legislation where Muslims’ rights are centered

Photo: NurPhoto/Getty

The House of Representatives just announced a historic hearing on the Muslim Ban on September 24th. This will be the first ever hearing on the Muslim Ban despite the many years of pain inflicted upon numerous families that have been separated. Furthermore, this is the first step toward a House vote on the No Ban Act which would also be historic, as what we believe to be the first piece of legislation to ever pass any chamber that is focused on the rights of Muslims.

President Trump’s Muslim Ban continues to separate families, deny people medical treatment, and keep those abroad from pursuing deserved opportunities in the United States.

This hearing is critical since Trump’s anti-Muslim agenda continues to persist across the nation. Such hatred was a central Trump campaign promise: “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” The anti-Muslim bias present at its inception remains intact. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told reporters that Trump had asked him how to legally implement a Muslim Ban. The first version of the ban targeted only Muslim-majority countries and provided an exemption for religious minorities in those countries, making its target faith very clear. In her dissent of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Justice Sotomayor wrote the court was endorsing a policy “motivated by animosity toward” Muslims. The government’s application of legal concealer does not alter President Trump’s intent to implement a policy of faith-based discrimination.

President Trump’s Muslim Ban continues to separate families, deny people medical treatment, and keep people from abroad from pursuing deserved opportunities in the United States. This policy does not reflect the values we aim to uphold, and we will continue the fight against it. We’re not going anywhere. In January, the Cato Institute estimated that “3,742 spouses (or fiancés) of U.S. citizens” and “5,542 adopted children of U.S. citizens” have been kept out of the country by Trump’s Muslim Ban.