In our heated political climate, Trump’s immigration ban has become an extremely prevalent issue, so we were interested in getting a more firsthand and direct perspective from people of the Muslim faith. This immigration story focuses on the Muslim ban, and specifically how it impacts the community here in Waltham.
Qiyu visited the Waltham Islamic society to chat with teachers and the chairman of the community and asked them about their opinions on the ban and also about living in America as a Muslim. Here are photos and also snippets of what Fatima, a teacher she interviewed, and Blue Karim, the chairman, had to say about the ban.
Karim explains the basic Muslim prayer routine:
Fatima
Q: Have you ever experienced discrimination from society as a Muslim woman?
PART 1
PART 2
Q: Do you keep up with news about the Muslim ban? How do you feel about the ban?
Karim
Q: What is your general opinion on the ban?
Q: Do you keep up with news about the Muslim ban?
Q: Have you noticed a difference in the Muslim community since the ban?
Q: Have you participated in any anti-ban protests or movements?
The Waltham Islamic Society was very friendly and welcoming. They told us that regardless of the ban, the community center has always and will always support the Muslim community of Waltham. According to Karim, most of the community actually do not keep up with news about the ban. And as far as he knows, there has been 0 reports of Muslim community members being denied entry into the US. They remain rather apathetic towards the ban because they believe American values strong will lead to equality and justice.