Racialized surveillance gets internalized by Muslim American children as self-discipline

Evidence

The accountability for all Muslims felt by Muslim women who wear the hijab is so powerful that it can have an impact on Muslim children as well. In a post-­9/11 society, Muslim children are growing up with the awareness that their religious identity is under constant scrutiny. Reema’s statement reveals the pressure Muslim kids are placed under because of this public surveillance. They are raised feeling a responsibility to demonstrate they are good people, because it will counter the negative associations that the public has with Islam. Racialized surveillance can become deeply internalized when Muslim American children are taught to self-­discipline and self-­surveil. At a young age, Muslim American youth are learning they are not like other American children but are held to different standards. One of the consequences of this racialization is the denial of individuality. Muslim Americans are denied their individuality in public spaces and are forced to navigate society within the confines of an externally imposed collective identity. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 546

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Racialized religious signifiers trigger hostile surveillance interactions with state and citizens — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 650; Surveillance fear makes Muslims internalize discipline and self-police; Surveillance causes Muslims to discipline their own behavior preemptively (+19 more)

Broader Connections

• Surveillance leads Muslims to police their own actions and dress #corroborates (0.85)
• FBI surveillance drives Muslim congregations to self-police and Americanize #corroborates (0.80)
• Surveillance justified by religious identity constitutes racialization of Muslims #expands (0.75)
• Racializing Muslims as threats sustains a surveillance state with gendered effects #expands (0.70)
• The War on Terror racialized Muslim bodies to justify their surveillance #expands (0.70) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 29
• Surveillance targets a Muslim name, not religious belief, making it racial discrimination #expands (0.60)
• Muslim religious identity becomes a racial category through surveillance. #expands (0.60)
• Surveillance targets Muslim Americans based on religious identity regardless of citizenship #expands (0.55) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 104