With the 2020 presidential election looming in the near future, Muslims are eager to head to the ballot box and engage in American democracy.
This election may be the most important in decades, serving as an opportunity to remove a president that is openly hostile to Muslims and many other minority communities throughout the United States. Muslims and others feel bolstered by the support they receive from the broader community as well. However, even the most progressive figures can reignite the feelings of alienation that are all too familiar to Muslims.
Last month, former Salt Lake City Mayor Ross “Rocky” Anderson did just that when he attacked Luz Escamilla because of her faith.
In his Facebook post from Aug. 17, Anderson called Escamilla a “threat” to the people of Salt Lake City because her faith makes her “willing to do the bidding of the church.” His conception of Escamilla’s faith is that she lacks her own free will and agency.
Anderson paints a common picture of the stereotypical person of faith. According to his comments, people of faith are incapable of thinking for themselves and having political preferences that are independent of the religious institutions to which they belong.
Muslims are no strangers to these stereotypes. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Muslims have been subject to the same accusations that Anderson levied at Escamilla. Politicians and pundits alike have cast Muslims as mindless slaves to a nefarious religious law known as sharia. In fact, throughout the 2010s, approximately 42 out of the 50 states tried to institute “anti-sharia” laws to impede the religious practices of Muslims. Now-Sen. Mike Lee served as the main advocate for such legislation for Utah in 2010.
The stereotypes are equally enduring as well. As a Muslim woman in Utah, who is involved with encouraging civic engagement for her community, having attended numerous events that seek to educate others about Islam, I constantly receive the same questions regarding terrorism, women’s rights and the actions of Muslim-majority countries like Saudi Arabia.
No matter how often I explain that Muslims are more likely to be victims of crime rather than perpetrators, or that Muslims contribute greatly to their communities, I and others like me are still perceived as threats.
These negative perceptions inhibit Muslims’ ability to equally engage in American society and politics. A recent study published by Dr. Ozan Kalkan in Politics and Religion demonstrated that Americans are significantly less likely to vote for a Muslim political candidate for office than a non-Muslim candidate.
Rocky Anderson hopes the same will work for a Mormon candidate in Salt Lake City, a municipality which has not elected a Mormon mayor since the 1970s.
What’s worse is that such discrimination often hinders minorities’ political participation. A recent study by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) found that American Muslims are the least likely group to reach out to their locally elected officials, which 2019 data shows is the strongest predictor of voter participation. This also corresponds with an increase in Islamophobia and reports of religious discrimination among Muslims.
The data is clear: When minorities face discrimination, it dissuades them from engaging in American democracy.
Certainly the dynamics of religious freedom are unique in Utah, and perhaps Anderson did not seek to perpetuate these common stereotypes regarding people of faith. However, when faith is represented as a burden upon a person’s identity, Muslims take note. We’re all too familiar with the sentiment, and it only alienates our community.
Luna Banuri
Luna Banuri is executive director for Utah Muslim Civic League. She serves on the board of Institute of Social Policy and Understanding, among other local organizations.