The Muslim Ban:: How to Understand its Meanings, Signs, & Ideologies

By Mohamed Magueramane

The epiphenomenon of the Muslim Ban (executive order 13769) has proven to be non-fluid, dichotomous, and politically incorrect. Since there was no quasi-epistemological randomness in the selection of its terminologies, words that are inconsistent with its nature were introduced to the American public, namely the trademark 'Travel Ban'. Yet, because of its religiosity-based structure, it should be teleologically referred to as Muslim Ban. This book situates this rightful terminology in relation to other immigration policies, demonstrating how they, along with their hidden ideologies, shaped the way it functions. Applying an intersectional approach, a link between security and radicalism opened the door for understanding how the need for banning Muslim immigrants became sine qua non to the realization of an ongoing American national project. Drawing on the work done by various immigration specialists, the book deciphers the body of ideologies that created the possibility for the ban's rise. A number of questions are answered through this analysis: How the Alt-right-inspired radical agenda of purifying the nation -from undesirable Muslim immigrants- was the core of the Muslim ban's conceptualizing? How was the Muslim ban determined by a set of signs, symbols, and ideological forces that it became difficult to reduce it to an exclusive, constitutional policy? Where does banning begin and freedom of movement end? What exactly was it in the media-driven Muslim discourse that resonated with Americans' qualitative evaluation of the ban's provisions? In answering these questions, we should not ignore the role of American cultural moods -the present-day rise of nationalism and populism- in the construction of the Muslim ban's meanings. The incommensurate quality of banning is due to the nature of the elements that combined to construct the Muslim ban, as the nexus that ties together security and radicalism. Indeed, when banning enters into a recursive relationship with the movement of Muslim immigrants, their criminalization occurs. Situated within a national project, the Muslim ban symbolizes a rupture with multiculturalism and a discontinuity of American authenticity. The book demonstrates how the Trump Administration assumed that an idealized America, without any Muslim immigrants, ideationally exists: an authentic America that can be restored -and protected- through barring a specified group of Muslim immigrants from entry to US soil. Special attention is given to the ways US media outlets rendered Americans more familiar with what Muslim identity is not or ought to be. Through a glance at the constitutionality of the ban, the book shows how the late decision of the Supreme Court justices was not based on the concept of equality for all. It makes no moral sense to segregate among Muslim individuals, as to whom should be admitted, and whom should be barred from entry. This book explains how the concept of 'bona fide' is reminiscent of the Darwinian concept of variability, namely how -within a symbolic struggle over access to American soil- some Muslim immigrants arise, while others perish.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 197820471X
• ISBN13: 9781978204713
• Release Date: October 2017
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 126 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.3" x 8.5"