Linda Sarsour: A True NY Muslim (Exclusive)
"We’ve been painted as a one issue community and we’re not," Sarsour.
NEW
YORK – With conflict in the Middle East making headlines and
anti-Muslim backlash a nationwide concern, the public discourse around
Islamophobia has grown considerably in the US, and NY's Linda Sarsour is
unstoppable on the subject.
"I
let the Brooklyn out of me," Sarsour laughingly admitted to supporters
outside the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)'s forum on Islamophobia
where she joined a six-panel discussion on Islamophobia in Brooklyn, New
York.
The
New York flagship public radio station WNYC 93.9 FM hosted event,
moderated by Brian Lehrer, led to a lively discussion with influential
commentators and scholars including, Al Jazeera America co-host and
digital producer Wajahat Ali, British journalist Douglas Murray, Iraqi
filmmaker Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, author Asra Q. Nomani, Arab American
Association of NY (AAANY) director, social justice activist and media
commentator Linda Sarsour, together with senior Middle East
correspondent for The Daily Show with John Stewart – Egypt's own – heart
surgeon, turned political commentator Bassem Youssef, to explore how we
can collectively move toward a more informed conversation about the
issues at stake.
Intrinsically
involved in the Muslim community through her work with AAANY and as the
advocacy and civic engagement coordinator of the National Network for
Arab American Communities (NNAAC), Sarsour's work transcends boundaries
and her persona shatters stereotypes of Muslim women.
Sarsour
more than held her own against panelists al-Mutar, Nomani, Murray when
they co-opted the BAM discussion on Islamophobia into a condemnation of
Islam, identifying it with the acts of a few extremists.
OnIslam was honored to be able to engage in an exclusive interview with Linda Sarsour.
OnIslam: You just finished your discussion, or debate, on Islamophobia, any remarks or comments on how that transpired?
Linda Sarsour: I
think it’s a debate that doesn’t happen often. I welcome it. I wish
that they would have more true New Yorkers in places like Brooklyn. They
had to bring a guy from London (Douglas Murray) to tell me what it’s
like being an American-Muslim, I do find that a bit disingenuous, but I
welcomed the entire debate.
OI: We
heard Asra talk a bit about free speech, but we’ve seen it become a
recurrence when anti-Muslim polemics pain themselves as free speech
martyrs when in actuality, they are advocating on trampling the free
speech rights of Muslims as in the case of Pamela Geller, Geert Wilders
and the Garland shooting. What do you make of this sort of hypocrisy?
LS: They
are definitely not free speech advocates. They are anti-Muslim
activists. That’s what they do for a living. For Asra to point out that
she’s a feminist, to make the assumption that I am not a feminist or
make the assumption that a Muslim woman cannot be a feminist. I’m a
feminist and I also exercise my free speech. So, she has to acknowledge
my story as I acknowledge her story. What do they do? They try to
discredit the majority of Muslims in the world and say that we are
irrelevant, and the next breath, they would say “where are all the
moderates Muslims in this conversation? I think they are a bit
disingenuous and try to paint their experiences as the experiences of
all Muslims— which is not true.
OI: Contrary
to 2000, when George W. Bush was trying to court the Arab-American vote
by speaking against racial profiling and policing the world, we’ve seen
a turn in the Republican Party. Many 2016 presidential election
candidates are engaging in Muslim-bashing to garner support from
neo-conservatives and those in the far-right alike. How do
Muslim-Americans see this as election season begins ramping up?
I
am who I am and I want to be acknowledged for who I am as a mother, as a
daughter, as an activist, as a non-profit leader, and as a Muslim
leader.
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LS: We
are already seeing it way before the 2016 elections with people like
Bobby Jindal and many others who are trying to buy their way into
becoming the next President of the United States. If we’re monitoring it
a little bit more closely, I think our community is used to it now and
are addressing it in a more proactive and also reactive way, because we
have to push back on it, but it’s going to happen. It’s going to be
ugly, because people in this country have set up a precedent of where
you will win elections or you will fundraise on the backs of vilifying
Muslims. We’re saying enough is enough, but I think we’ll be more
prepared to see that in the 2016 elections.
OI: How
are Muslims viewing the situation in Baltimore? From an outsider
perspective, we’re seeing some within the Muslim community taking part
in the #BlackLivesMatter movement and in Baltimore, but it seems as if
Muslim organizations have kept their distance. What do you have to say
about that and what can people within the Muslim community do to engage
with black communities?
LS: I
want to clarify that a lot of those in the Muslim communities are
actually a part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, because they are
black and Muslim. So that community hasn’t really been talked about. And
there are some other Muslim advocates that are taking part. When I went
to Ferguson, there were many Muslim advocates and there are many of
them here in New York City for the police reform movement who work
really close with the black communities. Can the Muslim do more to help
black communities? Mostly the immigrant communities? Absolutely. I think
they’re able to build coalitions. And it’s taking a few of us to do it
to show the benefits of it and to show how important it is for us to
have justice for other communities just as much as we need justice in
our community. I’ll be in Baltimore again working at a justice concert
and a town hall meeting supporting the people of Baltimore–which
includes many Muslims like the Nation of Islam and many of those on the
ground. I think we are seeing a lot more progress in our community and a
lot more intersectional ties happening. I think there needs to be more
of a priority in us doing it.
OI: For
a while, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been a center-stage issue
for the Muslim community. What do Muslims think about the recent
developments and is this still a top priority for the community?
LS: I
think peace in the Middle East, specifically Palestine-Israel, impacts
the entire world and it’s a very important issue to Muslims. Many of
them see the kind of holy land, Dome of Rock, Masjid al-Aqsa as very
symbolic for Islam. It’s a very important issue for me as a
Palestinian–as someone who is an Arab-American. But I’m also seeing
Muslims care about healthcare, education, law enforcement
accountability, and national security issues. We’ve been painted as a
one issue community and we’re not. We care about Pakistan also and we
care about what’s happening in other Muslim countries like in Syria, for
example. Palestine-Israel is an important issue, but it’s not the only
issue. And I’m not sure if the priority for all Muslim communities, but
definitely for Palestinian-Muslim communities.
OI: I
have to ask you one more question–a bit personal. A lot of people know
you for your phenomenal work as a social justice activist, a crusader
against racial injustice, and a media commentator. Not many people know
that you’re a mother of three. Some people are at amazed at how you’re
able to do all of that? What keeps you going and how do you do it?
LS: I
am who I am and I want to be acknowledged for who I am as a mother, as a
daughter, as an activist, as a non-profit leader, and as a Muslim
leader, and as someone who is proud to be Muslim and that Islam has
given me the opportunities that I have now. I have never been shunned
from any part of the Muslim community and I have been to some of the
most conservative mosques in America and have been respected. Are there
issues with individuals in the Muslim community? Absolutely. The problem
is not with the faith of Islam, but those who follow Islam. So, I’m
very proud of my children. I’m living by example. If I want my children
to be productive members of society and to be active Muslims, I need to
be that and that’s what I’m being right now.
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