It’s a difficult time to be brown in America, and ignorant, violent and racist jackasses feel even more empowered under Donald Trump. The past few weeks have been a series of gut-punches for Arab immigrants, Arab-Americans, Indian-Americans, Pakistani-Americans, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and more. It goes beyond religion and it goes beyond immigration status. Even with a more carefully crafted Muslim Ban (2.0), the message is clear to white racists: it’s open season on brown people. From the man who shot a Sikh while shouting “go back to your own country” to the man who shot two Indian men in Kansas while saying “get out of my country,” to the still-being-investigated shooting death of an Indian man in South Carolina, the message is clear to people who look like me: we are not welcome here, regardless of citizenship status, regardless of religion, regardless of general humanity.
All of which is to say that I’ve never liked calling it a “Muslim Ban.” It’s so much more than that. It serves a dog-whistle to otherize every brown person. It’s not simply about keeping “bad people” out, it’s about maligning anyone non-white. Speaking of, remember Khizr Khan, the Pakistani-American lawyer and Gold Star father? His beloved son, also a Pakistani American, was killed in Iraq. Mr. Khan spoke at the Democratic National Convention last year and he blasted Donald Trump’s proposed “Muslim Ban.” Trump then spent days criticizing and mocking Mr. Khan and his wife. Well, guess what’s happening now? Mr. Khan, who has been an American citizen for 30 years, isn’t being “allowed” to travel to Canada.
Gold Star father Khizr Khan says he had to cancel a Tuesday speech in Canada after being informed that his “travel privileges are being reviewed,” according to a statement posted on the event’s organizer’s Facebook page.
“Mr. Khan offered his sincere apologies to all those who made plans to attend on March 7th,” the statement from Ramsay Talks said. “He said: ‘This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad.’” Khan reportedly added, ” ‘I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.’ ”
Ramsay Talks noted that Khan – a Pakistan native – has been an American citizen for over 30 years, and said that all tickets for the canceled luncheon – which was to be held at The Carlu in Toronto – would be fully refunded. The cancellation was first reported by CTV News. Khan told the outlet in a statement that he has “no comments at this time.”
Yet another gut-punch. I thought a lot about the Khans after Trump won, but even I didn’t think Trump would get away with this kind of pettiness. What happened, did Trump keep a list during the campaign of everyone who challenged him, and now he’s getting payback? He can’t yank citizenship away from every brown and black person who ever challenged his authority. He can’t put travel restrictions on American citizens. Except I guess he can, because that’s what happening.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
How are Muslims who are white treated? Is the primary hatred about race or religion?
And I can’t imagine being treated like this by a country your son have his life for.
I suppose it’s about both.
It’s truly insulting. This poor man (and so many like him in this exact position)
“How are Muslims who are white treated?”
It’s less about how they’re being treated than how they’re feeling about it, and the answer is “unsafe.”
Children are asking their parents if they’re going to be kicked out of the country and why the president hates them. It’s grim.
It’s definitely a race as well as a religion issue. A Canadian woman who was born in Canada to Indian parents (both of whom are now citizens as well) was told she would need a Visa to enter your country… she was crossing the border to go to a spa day. And there are no Visas for that, so basically she was turned away because she was brown. I imagine if you are white, they probably don’t ask about your religion… although, a number of white Canadians have also been turned away from the border, passports and all, after your people checked their social media accounts and determined that they weren’t supportive of Trump’s policies. That is one of the screening questions now, apparently… do you support Trump? If not, then nah, you can’t come and spend your money in our country for a day.
I just… I just can’t you guys. I want something horrible to happen to Trump and his minions. I want him in prison. I want to see what happened to the Nazis happen to all of these fear-mongering bigots. And I hate feeling like this all the time.
Sorry, can you provide a source for those questions for those crossing the border to the US?
It´s true, I am a mexican living just a few hours away from the border. Here we get our cellphones taken to check information, which never ever happened before. Basically the border control to visa holders was all about being sure you would be coming back to your country. Now its all about political ideas.
Hey OG,
Here are some of the articles I read about it; there may be other sources but I’m always a tiny bit wary of googling Trump stuff at work.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-politics/some-canadians-travelling-to-inauguration-turned-away-at-us-border/article33690882/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montrealers-bound-for-trump-inauguration-turned-away-at-border-1.3944657
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/20/womens-march-canada-protesters-denied-entry-us
http://globalnews.ca/news/3290374/montreal-woman-denied-entry-to-u-s-told-she-needs-immigration-visa/
I mean, there are more sites… is this what you were asking for though?
Megan2
Thank you for this Megan. I missed it. Outrageous.
I live in Manitoba and we make frequent cross border US trips for sports. This has never happened to us, but it’s good to be prepared. I have heard of some teams and schools cancelling trips. Outrageous.
Who could have believed this could happen in the US?
OG:
I know. And SO many comments online are about how “travelling in the US is a privilege, not a right… everyone getting worked up about something that is totally legal… argle bargle racism economy great again bargle…”
I don’t understand how we came to this. Travel in the US at this point isn’t so much a privilege as it is an anxiety-boosting burden. And they don’t seem to realize it goes both ways… they all seem to think that none of this will EVER apply to THEM, because they are white and Christian so everyone knows they’re the GOOD GUYS. I wonder when other countries are going to start thinking about their travel policies as a direct result of this insulting behaviour.
I won’t be travelling to the US any time soon, mostly because I will not spend any money down there as long as this sh*t-show continues. Although, one look at my FB page and I doubt they’d let me in anyways since I am heavily anti-Orange Nazis. It’s just really sad… hurts my heart a bit. Is it still an act of protest if I would be shunned anyways, lol?
South Asians have long been the proxy group for anything that happens in the middle east or is labelled a ‘Muslim problem’ despite how diverse skin colour is among muslim and middle eastern communities. I know from personal experience, going back to the 70’s-80s when I was told to go back to Iran (hostage crisis) and then to go back to Iraq during that illegal war. I’m a brown south asian woman who was living in Canada, not even the US, during this period.
I think it is more about the colour hierarchy that is so fundamental to Western white supremacy. It’s no surprise that in a country with the one drop rule, a brown Hindu, Sikh or Christian is targeted over a white skinned arab muslim, who if not wearing any religious identifiers, sitting in a bar or washing their car, can pass for white.
It’s for this reason that I find it maddening that poc communities often turn against each other with biases, prejudices and negative stereotypes. We truly are in this together. We need to support each other.
I remember during the election cycle, there was that crazy video of an American hindu group that invited Trump to speak at one of their events. I would love to know how they rationalize his silence on the hindu man that was killed in Kansas.
Yes, I remember being puzzled by the Hindu group that allowed him to use them for his “I dont hate ALL brown people” optics. I theorised that maybe they want to distunguish themselves from muslims to avoid the bashing?
Anyway, I saw some a Sikh Youtube vlogger talk about this just after the elections. He said that he frequently gets told to go back to Iraq or Afghanistan….because he has a turban. He refuses to correct them about the turban or his religion. He says to correct them would be to imply that they are correct to pick on muslims as long as they identify them correctly. I loved that.
I know a woman who is Muslim and by all appearances white (I haven’t asked her heritage). She said that she gets treated just fine but she doesn’t tell people she’s Muslim because she feels unsafe and people don’t ask. She keeps it to herself except around certain company so it’s not lock down info but she doesn’t announce that she is Muslim due to fear.
I have a friend from Bosnia and Herzegovina who lives in the States. She’s white, blonde, blue eyed, has a very slight Eastern European accent and as most Bosnians, is completely secular ( drinks alcohol etc.) so people never assume she’s Muslim unless she tells them. She says she gets treated just fine, but because people don’t assume she’s Msulim, they say the most horrible things about Muslims infront of her. It’s quite eye opening.
NY Times already called this out as a Fake story, nothing behind it. He has shown no proof! Someone made it up
Fake News! Sad!
Did I do it right?
Oh God, the Putinbots are back.
I couldn’t find anything like that in the NYT but saw a curious story in the Washington Post that had a misleading headline plus a bunch of obnoxious comments posted that were based on already debunked fake news about Khan himself.
All we really know is that he felt the need to cancel his talk in Canada, because he was informed Sunday evening that his travel privileges were under review. After that, he just has said “no comment”. He’s a lawyer and by nature cautious and precise. He did not reveal who advised him Sunday evening about the situation, what exactly travel privileges means, or any details about the conversation. So we don’t know whether it was a real government agency or just a rogue agent at an agency or a non-governmental person trying to intimidate him. The atmosphere is so ugly today, it might actually be the latter, and he’s probably trying to sort it out before saying anything further. He was forced to be public simply because he had to inform the Canadian host that he could not make it to the scheduled talk. The Canadians have confirmed that there is no problem at their end.
If the phone call involved threats against him and his wife, he would be very cautious about revealing more than absolutely necessary for a slight protective effect. Threats do have a very intimidating effect. I remember when I received a death threat by phone for objecting to yet another stupid war in the local newspaper — my first response was to bring the cats inside for their protection…. I didn’t know what else to do, I had no proof of the call and so it seemed pointless to contact the police. But I felt very vulnerable. It was a while before I told someone about it and found out it was a common occurrence for anybody who wrote a letter or was interviewed saying anything critical of the government or just presenting a different view of a situation based on personal experience.
It is highly unlikely that Khan just made up the story. That would be entirely out of character for him. The man is well respected and well known in his community. But since he does deal with immigration cases, he is more aware than most of the things that can go very wrong, in depressing detail.
My bet is that he is most concerned about problems getting back into the US, since even native-born citizens have been reporting difficulties of that sort. He might be more confident if he were native-born, even though he has been a citizen for three decades.
This is truly scary.
And enraging. Trump is a fu$king sick ba$tard.
I guess he really does have an enemies list. What an awful, nasty, petty, small, sick little man. I loathe Agent Orange.
I have to hold onto the hope that justice is on the way. Otherwise, this is just too much. The good guys are gonna win in the end. We have to. Let’s keep working together to make it happen.
Personally, my goal for Satan’s Fart Cloud is for him to die in prison. He’s a treasonous turncoat and hater of everything America strives to be. Die. In. Prison.
Omarosa said Trump was keeping an enemies list during the campaign. And to exactly no ones surprise that turned out to be true.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/09/politics/omarosa-list-donald-trump/
I saw that too about Omarosa and the list. this is truly a scary new world.
I listened to the podcast “The 45th” today, and it scared the crap out of me. They had a long montage of all of the times Trump has talked about going to war with Muslim countries and taking their oil. How many times he has compared the US debt with the value of oil in Iraq (aka if we had their oil the US debt would disappear).
The Muslim ban is just a first step. He is preparing to go to war for oil. That is why he wanted $54Billion more in defense spending, even though there is currently no war to spend it on. He is preparing for war.
I agree he is just itching for a war. And I’m the mother of a soon to be 18 year old son, and I have a terrible feeling a draft will be coming too.
U.S. passports remain the property of the U.S. government, not the bearer. They can be revoked or not renewed. I think two things happened: 1) Mr. Khan was added to a watch list, likely in retaliation for his DNC speech last year. This would impact his ability to travel, particularly by air, and possibly prevent him from entering Canada. And/or 2) Canada is reviewing whether his proposed speech requires a work visa of some kind or has received information from the U.S. government (e.g., accusations of terrorist or criminal activity that have not given rise to criminal charges) that would prevent him from traveling.
Thank you for explaining all that. I’m confused though, from the way it is being reported in the Canadian press, it doesn’t sound like an issue on our side.
If it was an issue with his travel Visa, wouldn’t the statement be that his documents weren’t in order? Not ‘he’s now under review’?
It isn’t an issue on our side. Its the Americans refusing to let him travel.
@deezee- Citations? I have seen no official Canadian government statement on this.
BearcatLawyer – this is from the CBC, just a section at first:
The circumstances of the reported travel review aren’t clear. Neither Khan nor Ramsay Inc. would provide specifics about what the review entailed or say more about the “turn of events.”
Asked who issued the notice of review to Khan, Bob Ramsay told CBC News, “I don’t know exactly who it was, but I do know for sure that it was American.”
Ramsay is the person sponsoring the talk. Full article here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/khizr-khan-toronto-talk-cancelled-1.4012696
A woman named Manpreet Kooner was denied entry to the US. She was born in Montreal – her parents have lived in the same duplex for decades after leaving India in the 60s. She has no criminal record and was traveling with a valid Canadian passport. She was traveling with two of her friends who happened to be white – and only she was pulled aside and questioned by border officials.
They stopped her from crossing the border, and told her she would need a US visa if she ever wanted to go to the states again. Which – ultimately – is bullshit. She went to the US Embassy in Ottawa where they told her that the incident was odd and that you do not need a visa to visit the US.
Something very sketchy is going on – and at this point, it seems to be clear racism. This woman had no record – she had a valid passport, and was traveling with friends who were not stopped by border security.
I’m speechless that this kind of f***ery is happening.
I saw some of the documents in the Kooner case, and I agree something very odd is going on at the land border posts on VT and NY. Several non-white Canadians have been recently denied entry for very spurious reasons or no reason at all.
Canadians are generally visa-exempt, that is, they do not have to visit a U.S. consulate and get visas for most nonimmigrant classifications before they travel to the U.S. CBP threatened to deport her for not being in possession of a valid U.S. immigrant visa. But Ms. Kooner did not need an immigrant visa to visit a spa in Vermont. She could not get a U.S. immigrant visa for that purpose anyway. Someone in CBP needs to be retrained.
You hit the nail! Something sketchy is going on, I have lots of Hispanic friends that are residents and have dual citizenship in the usa and they’ve been stop at the airport for only one reason, that they’re not white, but this goes unnoticed…but yeah let’s talk about how great America is becoming!!
CBC radio has been reporting on these happenings. The first one I heard of was a white Canadian man who was stopped from entering the US because he was going to an anti-Trump rally. Then there was a report of a Muslim woman who was a Canadian citizen trying to drive to the US to see her family (which she had done many times before) and she was turned away. They asked this woman everything from what they taught at her Mosque to her “opinion” about El Cheeto. What they’re doing is simply turning away anyone who is Muslim or going to a rally. It’s wrong.
It’s almost as if the racist rhetoric from the government is leaking down and encouraging bigots on the front lines to act on their hatred.
There was also a report of a Canadian-Afghan doctor man who was interrogated for several hours and asked about his “tribal chief”. In the end he didn’t want to enter anymore and so went just back to Canada. And lots more similar stories. There are so many reports and it just becomes really clear that Muslims/people from majority Muslim regions are routinely being treated like second class people right now and it is frightening,
And, the border official told her. :I know you think you are being “Trumped”, but…..
WTF?
It is absolutely not an issue on our side. Making speeches is not considered full time employment, which would require a visa. This is Trump and his policies.
What I do want to ask our American friends is – how is this legal? How do you stop an American citizen from leaving – or re-entering – the country? On what legal basis can you do that?
Wait until they stop the Obama’s from leaving or re-entering the States. That should be fun.
“how is this legal?”
It probably isn’t, but the Trump Administration has no respect for the “so-called” law.
Making a speech might not be full-time employment such that a work visa would be necessary, but if the Baby Fists’ administration has added Mr. Khan to a watch list or a “no fly” list or indicated in any way to the Canadian government that he is a suspected terrorist or wanted criminal (or that criminal charges may be forthcoming), Canada would not necessarily allow him to enter the country. The U.S. could also potentially prevent Mr. Khan from travelling overseas if he is under a criminal investigation or has pending criminal charges, unpaid child support, or unpaid federal taxes. Also, if Mr. Khan previously paid for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, it is possible Cheeto Mussolini’s minions revoked his membership in these programs out of spite.
Since Mr. Khan is not in Canada yet, there are likely only a few ways Mr. Khan discovered that he was “under review.” 1) He attempted to renew his U.S. passport and the renewal is being held up by the State Department “for review.” In that case, I think he is likely being profiled for “extreme vetting” despite being a longtime U.S. citizen. 2) Something came up in the purchase of his airline ticket and the airline notified him that he was on a watch list or no fly list. Airlines can be fined for bringing noncitizens into a country without the proper visas/passports, so they are not likely to take a chance and transport him to Canada unless and until he sorts out the problem. 3) During the purchase of his airline ticket, he indicated that he was a Global Entry member and DHS flagged his GE for revocation/review. This would also cause an airline to get in touch with him.
Regardless, it chills me to the bone when I hear DHS officers talk about how Emperor Baby Fists has made their jobs “fun” again. He is playing with people’s lives and making the U.S. the laughingstock of the world. I have no idea how much damage this administration will cause both in the U.S. and around the world during its (hopefully BRIEF) tenure, but I can promise you all this: undoing the messes it will leave behind and restoring all the international cooperation and good will President Obama engendered will take years, if not decades. The real work has not even remotely begun yet.
Muhammad Ali’s son, a native-born US citizen, was interrogated for at least two hours when coming home from overseas. They kept asking him about his religion (he is Muslim), which I had thought was illegal. I would be shocked if they asked me that question at least. He was born in that infamous terrorist stronghold Philadelphia, Pennsylvania… His mother was with him but her interrogation was cut short when she produced a picture of herself with her very famous ex- husband.
They’re doing these things to people while keeping them isolated from lawyers, which doesn’t sound legal either.
I hope Muhammed Ali’s son sues the government. People who have the resources really do need to drag this group of lunatics into court, so it all is brought out into the clear light of day.
My heart is so heavy. This particular facet of this hellish administration gets to me more than the others.
Kaiser, and my Hindu and Muslim brothers and sisters, and my brothers and sisters of Arab, Pakistani, Iranian, Somali, Libyan, and Indian descent, and anyone else who is affected by this ignorance, divisiveness and hatred: I am so sorry. You are welcome here. I’ll stand with you and do everything in my power to protect you. You’re loved.
Cosigned.
Same.
Definitely cosigning on this.
Consigned.
100%
Yes, well said, and cosigned. A gut punch indeed.
Well done, Shambles. I totally agree. There are so many people who I want to protect, but I don’t know how. Also, my wishes for safety extend to the Jewish community as well.
How did we get to this place where so MANY of our neighbors are being threatened to this extent? It makes me weep.
What a beautiful sentiment. Cosigning.
Yup! Count me in.
If he is a citzen, why travelling is a privilege and not a right? (I’m not from the USA, that’s why I’m questioning).
According to what I read, American citizens and permanent legal residents should not be impacted by the new ban. This looks like pure and simple retaliation to me.
Yes, as a citizen it is his right. What is this about moving about freely and legally as a ‘privilege’?
U.S. citizens cannot be barred from returning to the U.S. after a foreign trip unless they have undertaken expatriating acts while overseas (e.g., renouncing one’s citizenship). But U.S. citizens do not have unfettered rights to travel overseas, and the Department of State can refuse to issue passports to U.S. citizens, thereby effectively preventing them from leaving U.S. soil.
Yikes, wth! dt really is bitter about anyone who has criticized him especially those who are more popular like khan Obama Elizabeth warren. Right after the inauguration when he was semi gracious to Obama and hillary I thought maybe he was going to start acting normal but nope
America is going to come out of this clusterfuck a better nation,the only question is at the price of how many lives,livelihoods,ideologies,rights and ideas.
The US government certainly has the right to govern passports, but if he was targeted in retaliation for exercising free speech, then it is a criminal offense. This needs to be investigated.
As for the broader effect of the targeting of Muslims: absolutely right on, this has given “permission” for vile speech and worse.
Unfortunately, this is going to be just one more item in the “Things that need to be investigated column.” Every day I think to myself…how is it possible that SOME ONE hasn’t stood up to DO something?
Because the people in Power are white and men are unaffected by all the BS happening. They would rather kill us by taking our healthcare, eliminating clean air, water, etc becuse it doesn’t affect them. Because in the end they are sitting pretty and get to pass all the wonderful bills that evil Obama stopped the last 8 years.
Marginalized people have seen this song and dance before and we ALWAYS shoulder the hard work until white people decide to join the fight (often way late to the party) and move the needle.
Yup exactly. Investigate? Nah.
@ Nicole-Esmom posted about the HB610 bill on another thread and reading through, all I could think about was “would my white upper-middle-class friends who have kids in public school even be concerned about this?”
The bill greatly affects the kids of marginalized and economically-struggling families, the kids of minorities, kids who suffer from disabilities, etc.
It’s almost mind-boggling how the GOP continues to issue legislation that specifically targets everyone outside of the white cis hetero middle-to-upper-class bubble.
Someones have, Esmom, but they’re ordinary Joes/Janes/Zanes. It’s as if the Republicans have checked their balls at the door. (And “balls” in this case, is code for “having the guts to stand up for what’s right.”)
Kitten, my friends who are white, upper middle class with kids are horrified about this. But then again a fair number of them are teachers, who have devoted their lives to not just their own kids but those who have far fewer resources and advantages. My other, less “aware” white friends seem to also get that there’s reason to be concerned, but I don’t think it’s hit them in the same way as it’s hit those who are on the front lines of education, or those (like me) who have kids with special needs.
And again, i would like to point out that NOT. ONE. NOT A SINGLE ONE. of those Trump supporters will proudly stand up for the Khans as they do for Chris Kyle and other white veterans. Because they only support the troops when their skin is of the same tone. I’m tired of the hypocrisy. I used to be outraged but now i am just exhausted. Tell me guys – should i come back for grad school?
And apparently the only service members that deserve respect are the ones who have d!cks, surprise surprise. Did you hear about the private Facebook group in which male marines have been posting lude and explicit photos of female marines without their consent? Women who put their lives and bodies on the line for their country, only to be violated and hurt by their own comrades? If anyone thinks these bastards didn’t feel comfortable doing this because their commander in chief is a pussygrabber, they’re being willfully ignorant.
I did Shambles, and i was oscillating rapidly between anger and sadness. I wouldn’t be surprised if higher brass was involved and participated in the sharing too. Read yesterday that they asked Facebook and Google to delete the accounts of the people in the group. Some of these men went as far as STALKING their servicemembers, it’s despicable. And the person – VETERAN – who exposed all of this? Death threats to him, rape threats for his wife, and people are putting money down for nude pictures of his daughter. I’m sickened. SICKENED.
My best friend was stalked and sexually abused by a superior officer during her time in the Army. Every time I think of what she went through I want to vomit and punch something. And reading about this now has just upset me to the point where I feel in need of a lie down. Sigh. I think I’ve had enough Internet for today.
The military attitude on the whole, sucks. Those naked photos? 30000 men and only one spoke up, and now he’s getting rape/death threats.
It seems like policing, where instead of getting violent, power hungry assholes out of the system, they seem to select for it.
They only want to stand for white men, with the exceptions of what seems a few brave soldiers.
I totally agree. It’s horrible.
Come to a blue state and go to school in a sanctuary city, if you can. My BF and I have a moment almost every day where we say “thank god we’re in Massachusetts.” It doesn’t make what’s happening in the country any less horrific, but it’s nice to have the insulation of a blue state.
We are very VERY lucky to live in Boston right now.
Come to Canada instead:-) costs less, once you become a resident the healthcare is free, and although we do have as*holes who agree with the Trumpian view of the universe, most of us do not and are speaking out loud and clear.
This man, and his wife, just tear my heart out.
I’m so sorry for them.
It is absolutely tragic. They have sacrificed so much for this country.
I know. I have nothing I can add to this – everyone up and down thread has already eloquently and passionately articulated the feelings of rage, disgust, and sadness that we’re feeling. I feel mortified for the Khans, and hope that they realise that there are millions of people who sympathise with and support them. (“Travel privileges”???? WTF?! Is he imprisoned in his own country now for having the courage to call out Trump for his disgusting behaviour in public?)
I sense that the momentum of disgust and anger towards that vile excuse for a human being (Emperor Zero) is growing exponentially. Something has got to give. I’m also afraid that, as Tiffany hinted up-thread, his real plan might be to go to war for oil – because he’s so delusional that he really thinks that ‘he’ can ‘win’ and that this will solve the US’s debt problems. He MUST be stopped.
I can’t imagine what the Khan family is going through right now…. It’s a new low even for the orange man. This a very very dangerous path to follow.
The thing is this guy can’t be stopped constitutionally without the help of Gop, but it seems that their love for power is greater than the love for their country.
I used to think Paul Ryan was a spineless politician, but now I believe that this what he and his party have wanted all the way and they are just relieved that they don’t have to pretend anymore being politically correct.
I’m half Lebanese and while I look like someone of European dissent, my dad looks very Arab. We used joke about not wanting to be behind him in the airport security line, but it’s not funny anymore.
Is this trump’s payback to the courageous parents of a fallen hero who had the audacity to take a stand against him. He is on a watch list. This is preposterous. My heart aches for Mr. & Mrs. Klan, they are just as American as we are. Too bad he couldn’t get into Canada and stay as far away from the hate mongering of any individual in our country who isn’t white and Republican. Sickened by this whole nightmare whose genesis was the drain the swamp cowards following the imbecilic person known as trump.
As gut-wrenching this article is, it speaks to the reality of the situation for brown people worldwide. I am a Canadian-born Muslim woman and have experienced racism, prejudice and stereotyping for the last several years (since 9/11). I have a hard time understanding why it is not possible to separate a group of extremists from the rest of the brown population, in the same way we know the KKK is an extreme form from the white population. I had a work-related trip in Orlando this past week, which I was dreading to go to. In preparation for the trip, I had to get a letter of employment, receipt for my conference, and speak to our corporate lawyers, in case I was detained. The US border officials are basically allowed to hold anyone for 48 hours without any grounds, so I was not sure if I would be singled out in any way. Through all of this, I was asked to provide my receipt for the conference, was randomly selected for a full scan, and had my luggage rummaged through.
I can’t even begin to describe the sense of violation. And for what? My last name? The beliefs of a religion where peace is preached? All of this because people do not understand the difference between extremists and regular law-abiding citizens. It is no wonder people feel threatened, upset and defensive. I will no doubt be avoiding the United States at any cost if this is how I am treated – I would rather stay in Canada where diversity is embraced.
I’m so sorry about he way you’ve been treated, Farzana. US citizens have allowed our government agencies far too much leeway in the way they treat people, all in the name of fear. I don’t blame you for not wanting to come here.
I am ashamed of my government, and the people who voted for this racist, bigoted regime. All I can say is I’ll do all I can in every coming election to vote out these cowards who are in power. Stay safe.
Thank you for your kind comments @sophia’s side eye! I too know that I cannot judge a whole nation by the actions of a few. I appreciate your understanding – and through all of this, it helps that we can all come together 🙂
What Sophia said, Farzana. There are a lot of us who would be on that list if we mattered enough to attract notice.
This is disgusting. Words fail. I am so sorry to see this happening in America. As an outsider looking in (I’m Canadian) all I can say is that I hope dragging the ugliness into to light helps defeat it.
This is just what the beginning of a what a Totalitarian state looks like. Totalitarianism is a political system in which the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible. Under the Trump administration it will be the new normal, because Americans will not be able to move freely in and out of the US. Mr Khan is just the tip of the iceberg.
I don’t recognize this country anymore. We have a shameful history and this administration seems determined to dredge up the worst of it.
This Father has suffered the worst possible loss when his son died for our country and this is how our administration thanks him? F#%k you Trump!
I always remember Mr. Khan’s words to DT when he spoke at the Democratic Convention. “You have sacrificed nothing and no one.” As a Gold Star parent he certainly knows about sacrifice, grief, and pain. Mr. and Mrs. Khan are such symbols of strength and of patritism. I’m so ashamed of this happening to him. It sounds like DT is taking a page from Nixon and is keeping an enemies list.
So now I guess traveling while brown is suspicious. Horrible. Kaiser, you are so important to all of us. You are welcome everywhere we have anything to do with it. If you ever have difficulties you should send out a Bat Signal on Twitter because there are so many lawyers on Celebitchy!
I’m Black-Caribbean with a valid US visa. My hubby and I have been to the US a few times with no problems. But right now, we’re very content to let our visas expire without visiting America ever again, which is a shame because we’ve got so many relatives and friends who are US citizens. If you think I’m being paranoid, there was a recent story about a famous ex-footballer (soccer player) from our country who was denied entry into the US because he had an Iranian stamp in his passport. This was AFTER the 1st ban was lifted. We’ve never been to the Middle East but it’s like Roy Wood Jr said, “Black people, we’re next.”
Rice – during the first travel ban, I remember hearing that people who were neither from the seven countries NOR Muslim, were among those refused entry to the US. One of them was Trinidadian, so you’re not wrong to be wary.
It’s going to be a rough time ahead, and my thoughts go with all my fellow South Asian, Middle Eastern, African, Hispanic and black brothers and sisters to hope you all make it through.
It is sad but I think it is good to with-hold our tourist dollars to show “hey trump, it actually DOES matter what the rest of the world thinks despite what you may believe…”
I’m so saddened by this. I’m American, but have Canadian citizenship and have been living in Montreal for the past 16 years. My husband is a Muslim Indian, born and raised in Canada, and my daughter (and very soon to be born second daughter) is mixed. My husband has no desire to travel to the states to see my family for fear of his life, literally. And I can’t blame him at all – *I* don’t even want to go. I just read about the Indian woman (Manpreet Kooner – given her name, most likely not even Muslim) who was refused entry for the spa trip with her friends – she was born and raised a neighborhood away from where we currently live. Calling it a ‘muslim ban’ is ridiculous – it’s an ‘other’ ban – and it has set the stage for people to be openly, unapologetically racist. I guess the upside to that is that you can weed those people out of your life; unfortunately it likely doesn’t change who they are.
That’s very f-ed up.
This is definitely not the first time that American citizens have been prevented from leaving the country for political reasons. Maybe it just hasn’t been so common recently or maybe the cases haven’t been publicized.
And this case is the weirdest I’ve ever seen, directed at someone whose son died in the course of military duty, and in retaliation for speaking eloquently at the Democratic National Convention and elsewhere. The Democrats need to raise holy hell about this one.
People also have been prevented from
leaving due to having jobs that required a security clearance, apparently Uncle Sam gets nervous when some people who know classified information cross the border to visit elsewhere. This always seemed so sad to me when I first heard about it decades ago. This included researchers, which is how I heard about it. Imagine being confined within our borders simply because of what is irrevocably inside your head due to your work.
If you owe the IRS, they also can prevent you from traveling. I think also for owing child support above a certain amount.
The famous Paul Robeson was denied a passport and confined to the US for political reasons during the McCarthy era, after he was investigated by the infamous Senator and blacklisted. It’s the Land of the Free only if you stick with the two major parties, apparently.
I saw an old listing of laws about passports which indicated that “American subversives” could be denied. That’s an easy way to harass dissidents.
Exactly. Someone should inform that ignorant prick of a fake president that THIS is what “McCarthyism” is, since he obviously has no historical understanding and mis-used the word completely.
What is happening is very very troubling, as it indicates we have descended into a totalitarian state.
Blue or red, everyone should be scared now.
RESIST.
It’s worth sharing that Steve Bannon tried to get a South Asian version of Breitbart going. His pitch was right wing Nationalism, surprise surprise. His goal probably is to stop immigration to the west (i.e. “white” countries) by stirring up misguided super patriotism. So all this harassment of brown people is definitely part of a larger plan. It’s pure racism trying and failing to disguise itself as some kinda homeland security thing. It’s BS. If his plan had been successful, you can bet the next step would be to cut off aid and turn diplomatic relations with those countries waaayy down, basically ignoring them and allowing them to fend for themselves with no aid, trade or defense from the western world. It’s effing diabolical.
Source here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/02/inside-steve-bannon-s-failed-breitbart-india-scheme.html
I think the common ground is that there are Hindu nationalists in India and the US that are horribly islamophobic. Bannon sees his movement as international and is looking to create alliances. The hindu indian americans that get murdered due to the virulent racism he has unleashed will just be collateral damage. I’m curious to know how the organizers of the event are responding to the violence and threats against Indians living in the US.
Tr*mp even went to an Indian-American event where he specifically addressed Hindus, likely for this very reason – their logic was probably “let’s appeal to the brown people who hate Muslims”.
Yes, I was referring to that event without any context as if everyone can read my mind. If we are talking about the same event, it was organized by the Republican Hindu Coalition.
Very troubling, indeed. It seems hard to believe that even so-called president Trump is vindictive enough to be responsible for this but perhaps his ill-advised polices are playing a role. Or is Trump picking off people he doesn’t like one by one? Where does he find the time?
Khan sacrificed more than he should for America, unlike Trump who felt his life of business was of equal sacrifice. Also unlike Trump, Khan proved to be extremely articulate and thoughtful. He’s a wiser braver American than Trump could ever be. Why hasn’t Trump been properly vetted? Khan with his sacrifice most certainly has a right to see Trump’s taxes!
Anyone that does not believe Trump has a hit list is either ignorant, been hiding under a rock the last 30 yrs, or too young to know who Trump is. This man only views life two ways. You are either w/ him & build his ego no matter how crazy or wrong he is.. anything less you are against him & you better be paranoid & keep your eyes wide open because he will strike. When Trump strikes it’s usually dirty pool. When it comes to Vendettas Trump makes the Hollywood stereotypical monster look like Mr. Rogers. If Ivana & Marla could talk.. imagine the crap he pulled on them. Ivana tried to make one incident public once. Bet that wasn’t even the worst of it. Anyone that gets as unhinged as he does on Twitter & cloaks himself in conspiracy theories has a nasty dark side & lives to play God & get even so to speak.
As a brown kid growing up, I dealt with A LOT from the other kids in my school. They were so mean to me and said horrible racist sh*t on a daily basis. I thought “just get through this, one day things will be better”. I was wrong.
omg, I can totally relate to what you are saying me. I experienced a whole lot of racism growing up in Canada. I have kids and had hoped that the world would be a different place with the passing of time. Super depressing.
Sorry, my American friends, but you have a pathetic excuse for a President.
I wish he was just a pathetic excuse for a president. That would be an improvement.
I really want to give him a hug and apologize for the idiot in the White House. Every day when I wake up I find myself asking “What did Little D do at 3am while we slept?” And every single day there is some new sh*t show to read about.
I’d get a lawyer and sue the shit out of the government if they tried to put travel restrictions on me without due cause (e.g. arrested for committing a crime and waiting trial). That’s the only reason I can think of for taking away your travel privileges. He’s as much an American citizen as I am and I was born here.
I can’t remember. How many of Donald Trump’s children served in the military or did anything even remotely patriotic in the course of their lives?
In all honesty, how much longer can this go on? Do we have to wait for an actual civil war to break out?
0/5 kids served
I never thought I’d see the day but America is turning into a fascist dictatorship as we watch. Americans have to find a way to stop this sickening development. But how? You (or your really strange electoral system) elected Trump, how do you stop him now? I feel so pessimistic for both the world and the US.