Trump’s ban unites local organizations

The Muslim Association of Hawaii joined other religious and civic groups last week in decrying President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily barring immigrants to the U.S. from seven countries with a majority-Muslim population.

Even though the Jan. 27 presidential order has been widely dubbed a “Muslim ban,” Trump and the administration say it does not apply to all majority Muslim countries and is therefore not a ban.

A joint statement by 24 Hawaii organizations released Wednesday said the order is “based on the misguided idea that certain ethnic populations are more prone to violence and are incompatible with American values.”

The statement was endorsed by The Interfaith Alliance of Hawaii and various churches; the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii and several civil rights and lawyer associations; and citizens groups representing Filipino, Japanese and Asian-Pacific Americans. At least 10 more groups requested their endorsements be added, said Cecelia Fordham, vice president of the Interfaith Alliance, a progressive coalition that encompasses members of over 70 faith traditions and advocates social justice for all.

Bishop Eric Matsumoto of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, which represents more than 30 Buddhist temples statewide, issued his own statement against the ban Thursday.

Hakim Ouansafi, chairman of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, which runs a mosque in Manoa and serves over 4,500 statewide, said Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric has increased hate crimes nationwide against Islam’s followers. But it has also brought to the surface the goodness and support of the majority of Americans.

In a statement to Muslims, he said, “Hear this: Let us not judge the American people based on the actions of the few and the pen of Trump. Don’t let the harm of our people, the burning of our mosques or the insults to our children, deviate us from our Islamic teachings of repealing evil with goodness and love.” He finished with, “Thank you all for your support, friendship and the aloha spirit; it means more than you know.”

His wife, Michelle Ouansafi, a converted Muslim who wears a hijab, or head covering, described herself as a multigenerational American from Vermont who “grew up believing in the America that represents freedom and democracy for all” and which “welcomes the less fortunate, the weak, the helpless.” Now hijab wearers are targets of harassment and harm, she added.

Catherine Graham Moore, an organizer with Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) and member of the First Unitarian Church of Hawaii, said in an interview, “It’s very clear to me that if we don’t stand for Muslim rights and refugee rights, he’s (Trump’s) just going to keep ticking away at everyone’s rights. … I am a woman but not protected by the constitution as a group, so he (may) come after me next.”

Other stances against the president’s ban came in the form of an open letter Tuesday from Wes Porter, the new Damien Memorial School president and CEO, who wrote that “our students need to know” the order is adverse to the faith, morals and values taught at the private Catholic school. On the school website at 808ne.ws/letterporter, the letter was addressed to the Damien community because “our students are watching” how the world responds to injustice.