In response to GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s call for law enforcement to “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods,” the Guardian interviewed Muslim-Americans about their communities and life as a Muslim-American —
Yasmine Allie, Dearborn, Michigan: “I am a 19-year-old university student who lives in Dearborn, Michigan, a city whose population is made up of roughly 40% Arab-American Muslims. My community members come from a variety of countries in the Middle East and belong to a variety of sects of Islam. A part of me wants to let Cruz bring in all the law enforcement he wants just so he can see what a loving, loyal, successful and American neighborhood we are. Yet another part of me does not want to give up my inalienable rights and freedoms just to prove what is already clear as day.”
Jalal Baig, Chicago: “I have had the privilege of spending my formative years in Chicago, which has many neighborhoods that serve as a microcosm of the Muslim world. Whether shopping on the frenetic streets of Devon Avenue alongside South Asians or consuming shwarma sandwiches in the hospitality of Arabs in Bridgeview, you will find individuals who have not only embraced their identities as Muslim-Americans but also the accompanying responsibilities.”
Farhana Shahid, Los Angeles, California: “I am deeply offended and concerned by Senator Ted Cruz’s plan to “intensify surveillance of Muslim neighborhoods”. I live in one of the neighborhoods that he would want to target: the South Bay area of Los Angeles. I have been residing in my community for 25 years. I am a Muslim woman, an immigrant from Pakistan and a mother of three children. I have been a citizen of this country for 20 years.”
