You may have heard that in Muslim fundamentalist countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan, people have been machete-chopped to pieces for saying things that hurt the “sentiments” of Muslims.
It is a peculiar expression, not one we commonly use here in the U.S. We might say, instead, that someone’s feelings were hurt. But never before, to my knowledge, have we had a judicial ruling based on hurt feelings, or sentiments.
Until now. On May 25, 2017, the Fourth Circuit Appeals Court denied Donald Trump’s temporary ban on immigration from six dangerous majority-Muslim countries. Underneath legal commentary about whether Trump’s executive order was legal on its face or not, protecting Muslim sentiments appears to be what brought about the decision.
A look inside the judges’ ruling reveals why your right to be protected against the risk of being blown to Manchester smithereens has been overridden.
On pages 25 and 26, we read about some of the plaintiffs who objected to Trump’s travel ban. The plaintiffs cited below are all Muslim. Whether or not they are even citizens is not stated in the court’s document.
Beyond claiming injury to their family relationships, several of the individual Plaintiffs allege that the anti-Muslim message animating EO-2 has caused them feelings of disparagement and exclusion. Doe #1, a scientist who obtained permanent resident status through the National Interest Waiver program for people with extraordinary abilities, references these “anti-Muslim views,”...J.A. 304, 306. Plaintiff Meteab relays that the “anti-Muslim sentiment” motivating EO-2 had led him to feel “isolated and disparaged in [his] community.” [Emphasis added.]
The final Plaintiff, the Middle East Studies Association, an umbrella organization dedicated to fostering awareness of the Middle East, asserts that EO-2 will, among other injuries, reduce attendance at its annual conference and cause the organization to lose $18,000 in registration fees.
Trump’s temporary travel ban, as an executive order, will undoubtedly appear before the Supreme Court. If the Supremes cannot come up with a more rational approach to the travel ban, we are in serious trouble.