Don't make gun control yet another way to persecute Muslims
Wardah Khalid
The Guardian
That using terrorist watchlists for gun bans is discriminatory to Muslims and Arabs was a prominent part of the national conversation during the congressional rush to “do something” after the San Bernardino shooting in December. But Democrats, who usually pride themselves on their pro-minority stance, made no mention of this grave concern during their supposedly heroic sit-in on the House floor this week, leaving a community already suffering from anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment wondering why.
The “No Fly/No Buy” bill members demanded to vote on is a problem in and of itself. It was introduced by none other than Representative Peter King, known for his controversial homegrown Islamic terrorism hearings, and would prevent anyone on government terrorist watchlists from purchasing a weapon.
But as of 2014, 40% of the 680,000 people on the master government watch list had no terrorist affiliation. Within that falls the notorious no-fly list, 64,000 people (including children) who are often Arab and/or Muslim. The reasons for their inclusion are largely unknown, and the process for getting off the list is extremely challenging – and, according to some civil rights groups, even unconstitutional. In April, the Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations filed a class action lawsuit in a federal court on behalf of thousands of Americans who have been placed on the terror watchlist.
No member of Congress at the sit-in appeared to acknowledge that not only are these lists ineffective in catching actual terrorists, they also will not likely stop mass shooters, either. The vast majority of mass shooters in America have not been Muslim or Arab, but rather white, male and not suspected terrorists. Neither of the San Bernardino shooters were reported to be on a list. “No Fly/No Buy” legislation essentially amounts to nothing more than embarrassing political theater for gun control with dangerous consequences for Arab and Muslim communities.
The current frenzy to blindly take action at the expense of civil rights brings to mind the post-9/11 legislation that many Arab and Muslim Americans are still reeling from including sweeping arrests and secret detentions of South Asian and Arab men, indefinite detentions of Americans through the National Defense Authorization Act and warrantless surveillance of Americans through the Patriot Act. In addition to being rights violations, these programs simply haven’t been successful in catching terrorists. We cannot allow history to repeat itself.
Rather than make political scapegoats out of Muslims and Arabs, it would be far more effective and heroic for members of Congress to focus on increasing background checks on all would-be gun purchasers. The other bill considered by House Democrats did call for this, but it was not pushed nearly as hard as “No Fly/No Buy” was. And in the Senate, which had its own Democratic push to demand votes on gun control last week, Chris Murphy’s attempt to close the “gun loophole” and increase background checks at gun shows and online failed.
After the Orlando shooting, many gay rights advocates turned their attention to defeating the gun lobby, and for good reason. The NRA is one of the most influential lobbies in the country and has spent millions to block measures that would make it difficult for Americans to buy these lethal weapons. They gave $27m, to be exact, to support senators who voted against background check expansion late last year. When will Congress take a stand against its members selling innocent lives in exchange for campaign contributions?
Americans who are sick of mass shooting casualties are lauding the Democrats in the House and, last week, the Senate, for at last acknowledging that action must be taken keep guns out of the wrong hands. But pushing “No Fly/No Buy” legislation without even acknowledging its potential discriminatory impact on Arabs and Muslims is not the solution.
If lawmakers are going to continue pushing for gun laws that would cause harm without affecting change, we need to make sure the issue remains at the forefront of national conversation, in every gun control debate.
Source: www.theguardian.com