Muslim ban strikes a chord

Muslim+ban+strikes+a+chord

My ethnic background of Middle Eastern is known by many for a reason: I’m proud of my heritage. With the new Muslim Ban now implemented in the United States for 90 days, cultural advocacy has been more prevalent than ever.

Over the past couple months there has blatantly been premonitions throughout the nation pertaining to future actions of President Donald Trump. They were for good reason.

Out of all of the abhorrent things he has said and done, the Muslim Ban outperforms them all.

My father’s side of the family is indigenous to Iran. He and his family immigrated to the United States during the Iranian Revolution when he was just eight years old.

My grandfather’s brother, who still lives in Iran, was planning to visit my dying grandfather in Los Angeles this month, probably for the last time.

Yet seeing as Iran is one of the seven countries on the ban list, that possibility now seems unlikely.

Trump’s executive order signed on January 27 (not to mention that January 27 is Holocaust Memorial Day) called for “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States” .

Since 9/11, not a single person indigenous to any of the countries on the ban list have committed any terrorist attack on the U.S.

All of the terrorists from 9/11 were predominantly from Saudi Arabia followed by Turkey and Egypt, yet none of those countries are on the ban list.

I suppose it’s just a coincidence that Saudi Arabia happens to be the second leading oil producer for the United States.

Even Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Vice President Mike Pence have previously expressed opposition to the proposal of a Muslim immigration ban.

As the ban has increasingly become an imminent issue, previous statements from Trump and his cabinet in interviews and through social media have been dug up to show the present hypocrisy and corruption of U.S. politics.

In December of 2015, Pence tweeted, “Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional.” Unsurprisingly that tweet has resurfaced and been widely displayed throughout the Internet.

Not only is America divided, not only is the GOP and the President divided, but Trump is inherently working on dividing us from the rest of the world.

This clearly strikes a chord with me on a personal level, which is why I participated in the protest at San Francisco International Airport on January 29.

After hours of reading and researching the details of the ban, my pent up frustration could be detained no longer. I called my best friend and together we drove down to the protest in San Francisco.

Standing up for what I believe in among thousands who share the same intent to fight for equality was an experience I will never forget.

There is no able justification for this period of ludicrousness and I pray that it will end soon.