I am 15,  I live in Cary, N.C., and I am Muslim.  Recently,  Donald Trump re-issued his entry ban for certain Muslim countries for the next ninety days. My religion now makes me feel like an outcast.

When I go to school, I hear  annoyed comments from peers and even teachers about the terrible President.  It’s comforting to hear, because my peers still see me as who I am, one of them. If the ban is expanded, I fear too many people might stop seeing me as just another teenager, and start seeing me as a threat.

I believe Donald Trump assumes  that there are two different groups of Americans: those who deserve to be protected and those who are Muslim.  With the ban, he has reinforced the belief that all Muslims, even those who work for the government, are all part of Isis. So far, there’s been little proof that the refugees who have come from Syria have ties to terror groups. Imagine trying to escape a burning room, and when you get away you are thrown back in.

In the meantime, Muslims resist  terrorism by bonding together and staying strong. Recently, thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims came together to pray in the streets of New York to demonstrate their peaceful bond.
I have many cousins in foreign majority Muslim countries and even have one trying to come here for school.  When I hear about innocent Muslims  being kept out of the United States, I get tense, because my grandparents and cousins may never be able to visit and we may never be able to visit them again. All of  these relatives are anti-radical and live peaceful lives. The members of my family are calling Senator Burr to protest. 

So what can I do about it?” , I ask myself . I find myself saying “Nothing” and when I hear myself saying it, I feel helpless.  As an American, I shouldn’t have to do anything. Still, I feel like not enough people would care.  After all, enough people voted for Donald Trump.  I worry that if this treatment of all Muslims as dangerous continues, there won’t be enough people who will come forward to support American Muslims or what is right.

Usually I pray at the mosque, but when I’m in public and it’s time to pray, I now feel uncomfortable. Because of the travel ban, I feel someone might see my praying as  a threat rather than an expression of peace.

The travel ban is unfair for Muslims because we are kind and caring people. Hadith 27 (Righteousness in good character) says “Bir (righteousness) encompasses many characteristics: justice in one’s dealings, kindness, consideration in one’s endeavors, being generous in offering help, as well as other traits”.  All Muslims are expected to have Bir, yet we are the people being targeted by the President.

Sometimes drastic measures need to be taken, but the number of attacks have dropped more than “70 %” worldwide since 9/11, according to Max Roser.  Additionally none of the major attacks on American soil were by people from any of the  countries identified by Donald Trump.  So what is the travel ban really about? That’s a question for the President to answer honestly.

Donald Trump makes Muslim-Americans like myself not want to stay in America. I belong here and want to show others that to be a good Muslim is to be a good American.  Across this country, Muslims are doctors, nurses, soldiers, employers, police officers, engineers, and firefighters.  When Muslims like myself live in America, it strengthens the bond  between Muslims and America. For this to happen, I must do something: I must write this.