The travel ban has been particularly harsh on Shiite Muslims

[rug]

People protest President Trump's second travel ban outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Seattle on May 15, 2017. Photo courtesy of Reuters/David Ryder

By Faiyaz Jaffer | 16 hours ago

NEW YORK (RNS) I felt utterly helpless. My student was sobbing and saying he wouldn’t be there for his relative’s final moments.

His family was in Iran, and with President Trump attempting to bar travel from there and several other predominantly Muslim countries, the student feared that he may not be able to return home if he went there to say his final goodbyes. My job was to offer counsel, and while I did my best to console him and offer spiritual guidance, a part of me could not wrap my head around the fact that this young man would not be able to hold his beloved relative’s hand one last time solely because of a bigoted presidential order that singled out people like him.

Although an appeals court ruled against a second iteration of Trump’s “Muslim ban” on Thursday (May 25), the administration could still appeal to the Supreme Court, which recently added the Trump-nominated Neil Gorsuch to its bench.

I was born and raised on Long Island. The high school I attended was small, not very diverse and proved a difficult setting for an American Muslim like myself and the handful of students of color in our graduating class. After attending Stony Brook University, I decided the best way that I could make a difference would be by drawing on my faith to increase dialogue and understanding among people of all faiths.

http://religionnews.com/2017/05/26/the-travel-ban-has-been-particularly-harsh-on-shiite-muslims/

https://www.muslimadvocates.org/files/ComplaintAmended.pdf