Anti-Muslim sentiment has become normalized in America, and the effects of this social shift are being felt in every area of society from the classroom to the courtroom.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the United States government instituted a comprehensive federal effort, internationally and domestically, to prevent future terror attacks in the United States.

The domestic effort sought to identify and incapacitate “potential terrorists” living among the U.S. population through criminal prosecution, denial of immigration status, deportation, restrictions on the ability to travel, and community surveillance. This effort was authorized by the passage of the PATRIOT Act and led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”). The effort rested on the assumption, without evidence, that the American Muslim population constitutes a clear and present danger to national security.

American Muslims present no significant threat in reality, and federal officials admit that Islamic terrorism is not even the greatest terrorist threat facing the United States: white supremacy is. Yet the federal government continues to promote this misconception in many ways, and codifies it into laws and official procedures with little to no transparency, like the Terrorist Watchlist.