Being a victim of political games is not new to me. In my homeland, Iran, I was interrogated three times — five to seven hours long each — on charges of treason and spying for the United States and Israel 2 1/2 months before I arrived to the United States. If these charges had been found true, I would have probably faced death penalty. One reason for those charges? My fluency in English, despite having never traveled abroad at the time.
Today, I am falling victim to yet another political nonsense. Announcement of the travel ban executive order did not shock me. I saw it coming and any time I expressed my concerns, I was repeatedly told he could not do it. Hey, here we are. He just did it whether unconstitutional and un-American or perfectly legal and protective of the citizens. It certainly created huge amounts of concern and confusion among immigrants and legal visa holders. And though I am deeply concerned about the potential outcomes of this situation, I will not be protesting. I have decided to resist the hatred in other ways.
The thing is, I have developed a thick skin against all of that throughout the past few years. That is how I managed to neglect the racist comments addressed to me on our very campus and have been able to cope with not seeing my family for over six years, during which I missed important events, such as my brother’s wedding.
I came to this country legally 6 1/2 years ago on a single-entry student visa. It has never been my intention to “steal” an American’s job. In contrast, I picked the United States because it was advocated to me that the land of the free and home of the brave is where dreams come true. I never thought it was going to be easy. So, I dreamed big to be the change that the world needs and I took the steps to fulfill that. Oh, did I say I have paid my taxes, too?
Over the past days, I have been reading and watching carefully as the events unfold. A combination of heartbreaking stories of innocent people detained in airports or families torn apart, heartwarming demonstrations in support of diversity and solidarity and, of course, soul-irritating echoes of the divisive rhetoric occupied the entire social media and news channels. However, I choose not to be overwhelmed by emotions and engage in protests that do things like reminding Americans that “they are descendants of immigrants.”
From personal experience, I don’t see much of a positive consequence in doing so. Once, a friend left me out of a gun control debate because “You’re not a citizen!” It’s not hard to imagine hearing the same response now. In my opinion, there is nothing constructive in a continuous altercation that would arise when the other side would demonize me for my nationality. So, I believe the real challenge is on U.S. values, and that is a debate for Americans. Seeing the supportive demonstrations gives me glad tidings that the process is going on.
Instead, I would rather take a logical approach toward the current circumstances. The root cause of the hate propaganda is ignorance. Brainwashed by leaders who follow their own agenda, some feed on the “alternative facts” sold to them. Ones that led another friend of mine on Facebook to call all Iranians “lunatics.” Hence, while I support the protests, I will carry out my resistance on a different front.
In the face of these challenging times, I decide to be a good ambassador for the Iranian culture to demonstrate that “Death to America” is not a typical Iranian national’s rhetoric. I prefer to engage in informative conversations with people who are interested to hear beyond what the media presents to them. These conversations could take the form of a casual meeting at a Starbucks or Chipotle, or a more formal presentation, like the talk on Iranian arts that I gave at South Dakota State University in 2010.
Like the other side of the moon, there is a face to Iran that has not been truly introduced. I choose to present that face, and show that ordinary citizens should not be held accountable for — or likened to — the actions of their governments. This is why I don’t hate Americans over a certain politician’s hateful decision. Much in the same way, it hurts me that some argue that countries that are not on the travel ban list, such as Saudi Arabia or Egypt, should be included. I don’t see taking others down with oneself as a humane method to prove a point.
Finally, I want to keep reminding myself of one of my favorite verses from the Quran (94:5): “So, indeed, after every difficulty, there comes relief.”
Mahdi Farahikia is a fourth-year Ph.D. student studying mechanical engineering.
To read other accounts of how the travel ban affects students and professors at Binghamton University, please follow these links (updated 2/11):
Professor Guest Column: Moral bankruptcy of Trump’s Muslim ban