A front page story of the Portland Press Herald today highlights some of the racial stereotyping that results from structural or institutional racism in our country and state. The article highlights a contentious Republican House primary race in District 116 in Portland, where two candidates, one of whom is an immigrant Muslim, are vying for the same seat. Here’s what one candidate had to say about his Muslim opponent:
“‘If he is (Muslim), I would have concerns about that because of the fundamentals of their beliefs,’ Capron said, noting that he has attended several seminars that described Islam and the challenges it poses to U.S. security and freedoms.”
To be clear, I’m not professionally concerned with the statements of this individual. People are entitled to express their ideas and beliefs. As a non-partisan organization, we have no position on candidates, regardless of what they say. What is professionally concerning is the clear structural racism that is connected to this individual’s beliefs – that Islam or Muslims specifically pose a threat to US security and freedoms.
Under the Bush Administration, we sacrificed a lot of freedom in exchange for so-called “safety”. When it comes to national security, the Obama Administration seems to be engaging in a side-step with the Bush Administration, which is a terrible disappointment for civil libertarians. When Obama entered office, he promised to close Guantánamo and consider moving detainee trials from the kangaroo court military commissions to US criminal courts. Neither of these promises has seen much progress. To the contrary, the Obama Administration would like to diminish our Miranda Rights and authorized a program under which suspects, including American citizens, can be targeted, hunted and killed far away from any battlefield.
One dangerous consequence of our sacrifice of freedoms in the name of national security is the pervasive religious profiling of the Muslim community. Some of this blatant profiling is specific to government entities, like the FBI’s surveillance of mosques. Clearly, though, the religious profiling done by our government agencies is an attitude that is pervading our society, so much so that you read Maine state legislator candidates religiously profiling their opponents.
Rather than perpetuating religious profiling, the federal government could make a strong statement to the country against such practices by introducing and passing the End Racial Profiling Act. When our institutions assume the good practice of equal protection, we will all be freer to address the interpersonal challenges.