How Donald Trump’s rhetoric has affected Muslims in Logan

Donald Trump gave his highly anticipated speech on his immigration plan for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States on Wednesday.

He had been accused of pivoting away from his hardline stance on illegal immigration – but he put that to rest when he said, “there will be no amnesty.” To contrast, he has slowly softened his policy that would ban Muslims traveling to the United States, proposing an ideological test to stop extremists instead.

But some local Muslims said his rhetoric has already been consequential.

“The damage has been done,” said Ayman Alafifi, a doctorate student at Utah State University who’s been going to the Logan Islamic Center for four years.

“He generalizes; he smears everyone and paints them with the same brush,” Alafifi said about Trump. “He is playing into the fear of people, which is far more dangerous than himself.”

Although Trump’s comments are provocative, Alafifi said, the media is playing a far bigger role in amplifying Trump’s message of hate than the presidential nominee ever could.

“It shows an ugly face of the United States,” he said. “It shows that there is danger now. We’ve had students’ parents call them to see if they’ve been harassed. The media is repeating the rhetoric and it shows this bad face — especially to Muslims outside of the United States.”

The Campaign

When Donald Trump began his presidential campaign, he rode down a golden escalator and announced Mexico was not sending its best.

“They’re bringing drugs; they’re bringing crime; they’re bringing rapists,” he said. “And some, I assume, are good people.”

But since then, he’s also made repeated calls against the world’s fastest growing major religion.

Early on in his campaign, at a September 2015 rally, a man said Muslims were a problem in the United States and added he knew Obama was a Muslim. Trump came under quick scrutiny for not denouncing the statement about Muslims and said he wasn’t “morally obligated” to defend Obama.

Then, on Nov. 19, 2015, he hinted at the idea of a registry of Muslims, and, more certainly, “databases for the Syrian refugees.” Later that same week, he said he saw thousands of Muslims in Jersey City, New Jersey celebrating the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on television and said he wants “surveillance on certain mosques.”

It was December, after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, when the Trump campaign called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” In March, Trump told Anderson Cooper, “Islam hates us.” And then again, after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, Trump reignited his calls for a ban of Muslims coming into the United States.

And then, at the end of July, after the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the most repudiated, campaign-shaking comment aired on television when Trump implied a mother’s silence was female subservience. Khizr Khan, the father of a slain U.S. soldier, had just denounced Trump at the DNC while his wife, Ghazala Khan, stood by his side — silently. He spoke about the loss of their son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was a Muslim. The comments brought a swift bipartisan condemnation for belittling the Gold Star parents.

“You’ve got to give him [Trump] credit for knowing how to work the media,” said Michael Lyons, a political scientist at USU. “Saying emotional and provocative things that offend people and then toning it down and getting more attention for doing that. “

Lyons said he wishes people would focus more on the substance of the policy ideas and less on emotional reactions.

When it comes to Donald Trump’s effect on the majority of American’s opinions of Muslims, Lyons said he thinks there is very little.

There is “minimal effect,” he said. “There are tremendous repercussions internationally, but is he changing minds? No.”

Trump’s 60 percent disapproval rating warrants him little respect to sway opinion, and the people who are pro-Trump and vocally anti-Islamic were already apprehensive about Islam, Lyons said.

“Racist attitudes still exist,” he said. “We’re seeing it rear its ugly head, but that doesn’t mean Trump invented it.”

However, new polling data from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found 75 percent of Americans think international terrorism is the largest threat to the United States — with the third largest threat being Islamic fundamentalism.

Since 2015, there was a nine point increase from Republicans, 66 percent to 75 percent, who said Islamic fundamentalism posed a critical threat, which is the highest it has ever polled — including after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Democrats stayed level for the same question at around 50 percent.

Sanctuary

It’s just a house — repurposed. It’s sits along 600 East in Logan unimposing and only about a third of mile away from Utah State University, where about 90 percent of its members attend. They’re mostly young and have come from countries far from where they will pray this year. They’re people of the Muslim faith and lately, they said, they’ve been victims of a presidential run.

The Logan Islamic Center is located at 600 E 748 N, just west of campus. (Photo by Matt Halton)

On Aug. 26 at 1:50 p.m., the Friday before USU begins its fall semester, new faces begin to trickle in. The entrance is in the back and before the 2 p.m. congregational prayer service, called Jumu’ah, begins. The members take off their shoes, sometimes their socks and wash their hands. To get past the small overflow area into the main room — similar to a Mormon chapel — members and visitors walk past a pin board. On it hangs a monthly donation report and visitor information slips. One slip is from An Nahl Aulia Hakim; he writes he is from Indonesia and he is looking for a place to pray. On the left side hangs a note written anonymously and signed “Your Neighbor.”

“Dear friends, due to all the anti-Muslim rhetoric I have heard recently, I felt compelled to write you this note,” it reads. “I want you to know I am grateful for your presence here. Our small Cache Valley community is blessed to have members of many different faiths here with us. I have known many incredible people of the Muslim faith and have felt welcomed and cherished in my travels to predominantly Muslim countries abroad. I hope you feel welcomed plus cherished here as well.”

The main prayer room has wooden adornments on its ceiling and entry ways. The carpeted floor has parallel Scotch tape lines running across it every few feet. When members walk in they stand on tape that faces toward Mecca and say their prayers.

A high school-aged boy walks into the main prayer room.

The first thing he does is he throws his backpack on the ground; spray cologne falls out. He immediately plugs his iPhone into the wall and starts to stare at the screen, texting a girl. Others in the room are saying their prayers or reading text. He’s wearing a backward, flat-brimmed hat and a short-sleeve button-up shirt; his pants are joggers and his socks are covered in green leaves.

He is still texting while more and more new faces trickle in.

Others are dressed in sweats, wearing aviators and Nike shoes. Some come in with their USU shirts on. And still others, usually older, come in wearing more traditional clothing — long, sweeping, loose-fitting robe-like clothes. The room is filled with dark skin, but members’ shades vary. They’re from different countries, and they often speak different dialects of Arabic. What they do have in common, though, is their Muslim faith and that they are all living in the United States.

The boy has stopped texting; his name is Sais Ali. He is 17 and used to go to Sky View High School in Smithfield, before he was kicked out. He moved from India with his dad four years ago and comes to prayer every Friday. His favorite kind of music is rap, he likes the newest Young Thug album.

Consequences

“People at my school, they yell ‘Allahu Akbar,’” Ali said. “I f—— kick their a–. I’m not afraid of anybody but God. People tease me; I ignore them like five or six times and on the seventh time I kick their a–.”

“You know when you’ve had enough? Like, ‘screw you dude, stop,’” he added. “That’s why I got kicked out.”

But Alfifi said another consequence of the rhetoric has been support.

“This rhetoric is more helpful than damaging to our community,” he said. “There has been an outpouring of love. Since day one, since Trump opened his mouth, we’ve seen lots and lots of support in the community. We had people outside holding signs reading, saying we love you and want you in the community.”

Ali said despite the comments, he has respect for all religions and “the happiness they bring into people’s lives.” He added when he graduates this next year, he might go to USU for diesel mechanics, or the U.S. Army or Marines to help the country he loves.

And for those who don’t understand Islam, Alfifi said, talk to people who embrace the religion and ask them questions.

“Once you start reading about Islam, you find that Islam stands for peace,” he said. “It’s not that different from Christianity, or Judaism or any of the other major religions. You’ll find that Muslims aren’t really that different.”

Ali agrees.

“Muslims are all about peace and happiness,” he said.

Editor’s note: You can read more about the Logan Islamic Center here.

— jacksonmurphy111@gmail.com