There was a good article I read recently about non-Muslim people registering as Muslims - I can't seem to find it right now, but basically, it said that as nice as it sounds, it actually wouldn't really do much -- for one thing, because it's first going to target only people from other countries (so if you're an American citizen, you literally can't register) -- and also because the act of registering in and of itself means you're consenting to the existence of the registry in the first place. I have no qualms about lying about my faith (especially since I'm not even entirely sure what my faith is), but I had to agree with the writer, who also said that a white Christian pretending to be a Muslim is actually that white Christian person ducking responsibility for the system they helped create. There's something sort of ethically problematic with a member of the oppressor class pretending to be a member of the oppressed class and surrendering all their power/privilege to actually make viable change in other ways -- in this case, instead of sitting around right now shaming each other over whether they're going to theoretically register or not, to do what they can before Trump even takes office to try and stop the registry from even being made. Yes, some of us able-bodied people may have to use our bodies to protest when we run out of options -- not to get in line behind Muslims, but to block the doors of the offices so that nobody at all can get in to register, whether they're actually Muslim or not. But, in the meantime, there are things everyone can do that require a lot less. For instance, calling Suzan Delbene's office to thank her for her proposed legislation that would make it federally illegal to require anyone to be forced to register based on their religion, and encouraging our own representatives (if we live elsewhere) to stand in support of the bill -- by calling their offices, too, or sending letters, postcards, etc.
I know part of what you're saying here isn't really particularly about the Muslim registry specifically, but just about this sort of icky activist shaming culture in general, and I 100% agree with that as well. There are a thousand things that need to be done. We need all hands on deck, in whatever capacity they're willing and capable. We do not have the luxury, nor the time, for anything else -- certainly not for wasting time criticizing each other rather than getting busy actually doing something (anything) that extends beyond our own individual social media bubbles.
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Date: 2016-11-30 07:52 am (UTC)I have no qualms about lying about my faith (especially since I'm not even entirely sure what my faith is), but I had to agree with the writer, who also said that a white Christian pretending to be a Muslim is actually that white Christian person ducking responsibility for the system they helped create. There's something sort of ethically problematic with a member of the oppressor class pretending to be a member of the oppressed class and surrendering all their power/privilege to actually make viable change in other ways -- in this case, instead of sitting around right now shaming each other over whether they're going to theoretically register or not, to do what they can before Trump even takes office to try and stop the registry from even being made. Yes, some of us able-bodied people may have to use our bodies to protest when we run out of options -- not to get in line behind Muslims, but to block the doors of the offices so that nobody at all can get in to register, whether they're actually Muslim or not. But, in the meantime, there are things everyone can do that require a lot less. For instance, calling Suzan Delbene's office to thank her for her proposed legislation that would make it federally illegal to require anyone to be forced to register based on their religion, and encouraging our own representatives (if we live elsewhere) to stand in support of the bill -- by calling their offices, too, or sending letters, postcards, etc.
I know part of what you're saying here isn't really particularly about the Muslim registry specifically, but just about this sort of icky activist shaming culture in general, and I 100% agree with that as well. There are a thousand things that need to be done. We need all hands on deck, in whatever capacity they're willing and capable. We do not have the luxury, nor the time, for anything else -- certainly not for wasting time criticizing each other rather than getting busy actually doing something (anything) that extends beyond our own individual social media bubbles.