Visibility as Resistance by Muslim Americans in a Surveillance and Security Atmosphere

Abstract

Based on ethnographic data on South Asian Muslims in Los Angeles and analysis of publications of the largest Muslim organization in North America, this article shows how Muslim Americans manage their hypervisibility in the post-9/11 security atmosphere, which has intensified after ISIS terrorist attacks at home and abroad. At the individual-level, Muslim Americans try to distance themselves from the "Muslim" label, which associates them with "terrorists." Instead, many selfcategorize into the seemingly more favorable "moderate" identity, which could sometimes render Muslims politically passive. Contrastingly, Muslim organizations strive to construct a "Muslim American" identity that can allow Muslims to engage in mainstream politics by reframing Islam as compatible with American values. Theoretically, this article engages with the scholarship on security, surveillance, and visibility to show how the observed's visibility is not always only repressive, but can be used to resist imposed categories. However, findings reflect how the racialization of Muslims and the security regime give these strategies a double-edge-while providing some advantages, these do little to dismantle Muslims' hypervisibility and the security atmosphere. Overall, findings shed light on the contemporary issue of Muslim identification-not just in terms of how others see Muslims but also how Muslims see themselves.

Successful yet Precarious: South Asian Muslim Americans, Islamophobia, and the Model Minority Myth

“…For many South Asian Americans who are Muslim, the responsibility to prove themselves “innocent” or “unthreatening” means that they have to strategically and stringently self-police their visibility in day-to-day life, and a way in which they do so is by presenting themselves as “good,” “moderate” Muslims (Shams 2018). However, their strategies to be seen as “moderate” often force them to relegate their religious and political opinions to the private sphere because expressing their political self-awareness carries the risk of drawing negative attention to their Muslim-ness (Shams 2018). Instead, by suppressing actions and speeches that can highlight their Muslim identity in public, they strive to highlight their “American-ness,” such as by expressing their fondness for apolitical movies, secular items of pop-culture, and consumerism (Shams 2018).…”

“…However, their strategies to be seen as “moderate” often force them to relegate their religious and political opinions to the private sphere because expressing their political self-awareness carries the risk of drawing negative attention to their Muslim-ness (Shams 2018). Instead, by suppressing actions and speeches that can highlight their Muslim identity in public, they strive to highlight their “American-ness,” such as by expressing their fondness for apolitical movies, secular items of pop-culture, and consumerism (Shams 2018). Although religious leaders at the organizational level are striving to pave ways for Muslim Americans to actively engage in mainstream politics, some scholars have argued that American Muslim politics comes with distinct social costs, such as notoriety, censorship, and threats of unemployment and expulsion (Al-Arian and Kanjwal 2018; Salaita 2018).…”

“…The post-9/11 climate of fear and surveillance arguably intensified the South Asian Muslim Americans’ feelings of insecurity (Shams 2018), adding salience to what education attainment and career tracks mean for their lives and group position in America. While Asian Americans broadly and South Asian Americans more specifically have been observed to prefer STEM education in both their own careers and their children’s, the Islamophobic and racialized context further motivates many South Asian Muslim immigrants to emphasize STEM degrees.…”

Dispatches From Along the Veil: Stories of Racial Rejection

“…This is not the case. The majority of whites still participate in openly racist performances in the backstage arena” (Picca and Feagin :22; Shams ).…”

The Criminalization of Muslims in the United States, 2016

“…al. 2006;Razak 2008;Selod 2018;Shams 2018;Shiek 2011) and received enhanced punishments in prisons (Aseltine 2014). Islamic or "Sharia" law has been banned by a dozen state courts (Mitchell and Toner 2016;Patel et al 2013), and most recently foreign nationals from majority Islamic countries have been excluded from the United States altogether.…”