I'm a slacker Muslim. But Donald Trump has us atheists nervous

Amid talk of Muslim registries, many of us are being dragged into the fray, whether we believe or not

Sohaila Abdulali
Monday 16 January 2017 07.00 EST

On a recent return to New York after a short trip to India, I waltzed through immigration with my nice blue US passport. It says “Abdulali” but nobody seemed to care. Will that be different next time I come back home?

The incoming administration has previously proposed a Muslim registry. I’m not from one of the so-called “high-risk countries”, but the name Abdulali suddenly feels like Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter – am I now supposed to justify myself every time I come home? Will I feel the old familiar pre-citizenship nerves and do my best to grovel and look harmless when the officer appraises me before I escape thankfully to baggage claim? What about my Pakistani cousins who might want to visit?

This feeling of nervousness is unpleasantly familiar. In 1992, India suddenly changed after a mosque was destroyed, and ethnic riots swept the country. The nice man I bought flowers from at the Delhi market near my flat asked me in all seriousness why I didn’t go “back” to Pakistan – a place that might not even have let me in as a tourist while I had an Indian passport. I was indignant, and then heartbroken. At least there was comfort in the thought that this could never happen in the US, my adopted home.

Then along came Donald Trump and his merry men. Suddenly, I’m no longer sure if I am welcome next time I land at JFK.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/16/slacker-muslim-donald-trump-atheists-nervous-registry