Dangerous outsiders and exceptional citizens: being Muslim American since 9/11
This is the second article I wrote on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. This piece, for The …
How the War on Terror Created the “Muslim American”
This is the first of two pieces I wrote for the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. This piece, from The Nation, …
I gave a TEDx talk!
I was honored to be asked by TEDxCUNY to deliver a lecture. Originally, I was supposed to give this talk last spring, …
The Biden administration has ended use of the phrase “illegal alien.” It’s about time
The language we use to discuss immigration is dehumanizing: ‘catch and release’, ‘migrant caravans’, swarms – anything, in other words, but people. …
ICE reached a new low: using utility bills to hunt undocumented immigrants
Did you know that our government has effectively been forcing people to choose between heat in their apartment and the risk of …
No, We Do Not Need New Anti-Terrorism Laws to Combat Right-Wing Extremists
In the wake of the storming of the Capitol, many people have begun calling to expand the War on Terror. This would …
Re-electing Trump won’t bring you safety
I wrote this essay, prompted by Donald Trump’s photo-op visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, for The Guardian. Here’s part of the essay: It …
Why Did Cup Foods Call the Cops on George Floyd?
I wrote this op-ed for the New York Times on why nuisance abatement laws force stores in low-income neighborhoods to operate almost …
On the Black Lives Matter protests in New York City
I was asked by Scena 9, a Romanian magazine, to write a very short essay on the Black Lives Matter protests in …
The coronavirus and the failures of war metaphors
Donald Trump now refers to himself as a “wartime president” who is fighting the “invisible enemy” of the coronavirus. He’s hardly the …