As students in a women and gender studies course, my classmates and I are very much aware of systems of power, oppression and discrimination.
Many of us are also aware of how this plays out in the lives of Muslims living in North America.
So when Farah Pandith, the special representative to Muslim communities for the U.S. Department of State, came to speak in our class Nov. 17, we were excited to hear the opinion of a Muslim woman living in post-9/11 America.
Unfortunately, her talk left many of us wondering: is her job to facilitate social change and heal the wounds of racial discrimination directed towards Muslim communities? Or is it just political lip service?
Ms. Pandith requested the opportunity to talk with Carleton students and discuss the experiences of young Muslims living in the U.S. and in predominantly Muslim countries.
Ultimately, though, her presentation turned out to be very disappointing and left most of us students shocked.
The basis of her presentation was that she had experienced no discrimination or racism prior to or since the 2001 attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. She suggested that the relationship between Muslim Americans and other Americans was fine.
It was then that students in the class realized her visit was not driven by educational motives, but political ones. Students began to ask the tough questions about racism, U.S. foreign policy and ideology. For example, how has 9/11 affected Muslim peoples’ ability to get jobs in the U.S.?
She sidestepped all these questions, and left quickly — questions unanswered.
The United States Department of Justice has investigated approximately 800 cases of violence, vandalism, and arson against people believed to be Muslim, Arab or South Asian since the 9/11 attack, Reuters reported. A Reuters article also stated there has been a 150 per cent increase in workplace discrimination over religious dress and worship schedules.
Last year, CNN reported that a Florida evangelical pastor burned a Qur’an and urged other churches to host “Burn a Qur’an Day” with pride and vengeance.
Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. detention camp with one of the highest suicide rates among Muslim prisoners, is a place where Afghan and Iraqi detainees have been subjected to extreme torture, ridicule and discrimination on the basis of their identities as Muslims, according to the Globe and Mail.
Yet, Ms. Pandith would have us believe there is no discrimination towards Muslims in the U.S.
Perhaps it’s Ms. Pandith’s appearance that allowed her to make such claims: she’s a tall, good-looking, 40-something woman with light skin tones, who does not wear a hijab.
Perhaps it’s her privileged class: she holds a BA from the prestigious Smith College and a master’s degree from the renowned Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
But Ms. Pandith attributed the difference between Muslims and other Americans to simply not eating pork and not drinking [alcohol].
One of my peers echoed my sentiments saying, “I did not feel represented by her at all. She was beautiful, very fair skinned, did not wear a hijab like I do, wore a skirt at a length that I would not be allowed, and wore heels that I would also probably not be allowed to wear. It was almost like she was saying if you dress and look like an American [Muslim], you just might get by in society.”
I feel Ms. Pandith’s position exists to convince people that allegations and complaints of Islamophobia in the U.S. are false. The position is just a symbol.
The American government does not seem to want to fix the problem. Instead it aims to sweep it under the table completely.
It is ironic that Ms. Pandith was allotted this job to represent all American members of the Muslim community, since she is one of the few Muslim people who claim they face no oppression living in the U.S.
Although I was disappointed with the message presented by Ms. Pandith, I am still glad that she came to Carleton. My class was able to see true politics in action — privileged Americans denying racism and discrimination.
