The French Senate on March 30 voted in favor of legislation that, if passed, would ban Muslim girls from wearing hijabs in public. The legislation might also prohibit Muslim women from wearing burkinis, or full-coverage swimsuits, in public pools, and ban hijab-wearing mothers from going on school trips with their children. This violently targets the more than four million Muslims living in France.

Though France is an ocean away from us and the measures are still awaiting the approval of France’s National Assembly, we must all do more to speak out and act against Islamophobia both abroad and within the U.S. Now is the time for non-Muslim people to be empathetic and supportive of Muslim community members everywhere — including at Syracuse University — as well as to analyze and adjust their behavior to be better allies.

Muslim women at SU are affected by the legislation. Zainab Almatwari, a freshman who is Muslim, expressed her concern in regard to the French legislation because, in her eyes, laws everywhere impact everybody. 

She said the ban is similar to former President Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban in 2017, and she recalled “an extreme rise in hate crimes against Muslims in America, but also in France.” No matter where Islamophobic policies are enacted, they cause an increase in Islamophobia around the world. 

Following this pattern, about a year after the Muslim travel ban was passed, letters calling for a “Punish a Muslim Day” were sent to people in the United Kingdom, and they contained Islamophobic tasks and an associated point system for completing them, according to the New Stateman. These tasks ranged from pulling a woman’s hijab off for 25 points to 2500 points for “nuking Mecca.” 

Now more than ever, SU students who are Muslim need support. Almatwari doesn’t feel like her voice is being heard at SU. 

“The more I take Middle East and politics classes, the more I see the conversations being shut down whenever I argue or respond,” Almatwari said.

The campus community can take action to better support Muslim students on campus. Students can make sure that they are educated about current events affecting people other than themselves and can find ways to make change within their own community. Professors should ensure that all students are heard equally.

“The majority of campus literally don’t know anything about what’s happening or like, even about the Muslim ban,” Almatwari said.

Legislation such as the one the French Senate voted in favor of make people around the world think it’s OK to be Islamophobic. It’s not. Hate is contagious, so it is important to take action against Islamophobia to stop and prevent its spread.

Polina Plitchenko is a junior psychology major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at pplitche@syr.edu.

Published on April 11, 2021 at 11:19 pm