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18 J. Gender Race & Just. 425 (2015-2016)
Muslim Women's Rights in the United States

handle is hein.journals/jgrj18 and id is 451 raw text is: Muslim Women's Rights in the United Statest Farina Abdrabboh* I am a covered, Muslim woman-meaning, I wear a headscarf and a dress. Just today, as I was preparing to board a flight to Iowa, my flight was delayed due to a reported explosion at the Chicago airport. This explosion was being reported by CNN on the televisions throughout the terminal.' Passengers all around me would look at the television screen, then look at me, then look at the television, and then look back at me. This paranoia is not a hyperbole, but rather the experience of Muslims in today's U.S. security climate, particularly, in airports when breaking news such as this occurs. This is exactly how Muslim Americans feel every time there is breaking news around the world. Muslim Americans currently experience a double victimization: as Americans, they are victimized by organizations like ISIS; and they are also victimized by often sloppy reporting. For example, a politician does not suffer substantially if he or she makes a misrepresentation about Muslims and Muslim Americans. In the United States, there is an industry of Islamophobia-a concerted effort by certain interest groups that is either directed towards victimizing Muslims as a whole, or inadvertently does so-and there are no real ramifications for the perpetrators. Unfortunately, as the recent uptick in hate crimes against Muslim Americans attests, there are real and serious ramifications for members of the Muslim American community, who bear the brunt of Islamophobia. Consequently, Muslim women are caught in this crossfire; a crossfire that is so complex it is hard to untangle. There are many facets to this reality. However, it really has nothing to do with religion. Rather, it is a product of institutions of oppression and patriarchy. The first line of defense is that Muslims are not terrorists. Muslims are inherently inclined to love;2 they do not undervalue life or the lives of their sons t This Article has been adapted from a Skype presentation given by Ms. Abdrabboh at the Women in the Revolution Symposium on September 26, 2014. This Article is also featured in Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems. Please use a string citation when referencing this Article: Fatina Abdrabboh, Muslim Women's Rights in the United States, 18(2) J. GENDER RACE & JUST. 425, 24(2) TRANSNAT'L L. & CONTEMP. PROBS. 379 (2015). Fatina Abdrabboh, J.D., M.PP, M.T.S., is the Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's (ADC) Michigan office. She is a graduate of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. As Director of the largest civil rights organization defending the rights of Arab Americans, her work has primarily focused on identifying unique challenges facing the Arab American and Muslim American communities and reconciling their needs with the fundamental values enshrined in the United States Constitution. 'See Flights Resume on 'Reduced Rate'After Fire at Chicago Air Traffic Facility, CNN WIRE (Sept. 26, 2014, 4:09 PM), http://foxl3now.com/2014/09/26/flights-resume-on-reduced-rate-after-fire-at- chicago-air-traffic-facility/. 2 See Islamic Networks Group, Frequently Asked Questions on Terrorism, ISLAM 101 (2004),

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