Duke Muslim Students’ Association stands with all those affected by the actions of the Trump administration. We oppose the rapid erosion of the rights of American citizens, residents and hopeful residents that has taken place in the past week. Trump’s refugee ban hits close to home for many members of our community, whose families have been affected directly or indirectly by the vilification of our faith through this policy.
We think it is important to note that the executive order almost exclusively bans people originating from refugee-producing countries, regardless of their faith. Refugees are among the most vulnerable populations on Earth, especially today when their rights under international law are systematically ignored by the U.S., parts of Europe and many other countries. Portraying refugees as dangerous effectively vilifies entire communities and leads directly to their collective punishment, denying them the opportunity to be seen as individuals worthy of protection and rights. Furthermore, the portrayal of refugees by the current administration distorts the historical and geopolitical realities of European colonialism and American hyper-militarism, both of which have fundamentally devastated the countries and lives of refugees.
As President Trump’s actions have made clear, we have a long way to go, but we are grateful that the groundwork for this struggle has been laid by earlier and ongoing civil rights movements, the burden of which has been shouldered for so long by African American and Latinx communities, the LGBTQ+ movement, women and all those who want America to become a haven for universal human rights.
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