The Imam Council of Metropolitan St. Louis (ICMSTL), a council that represents the St. Louis Muslim community, today expressed deep concern and disappointment by the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Muslim Ban 3.0.
As a nation, we struggle to achieve our ideals of being a country that welcomes peoples of all faith and background. This is an Islamic principal where God says, “Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge? And He found you lost and guided [you], And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient... And as for the stranger, do not repel [him]” (Quran 93:6-10). Here God describes how He has helped each one of us during our difficult times. He then connects His help by reminding us to help others, specifically the stranger that we should not repel him. Even though our nation has a statute that codifies liberty and calls on the world to send its huddle masses to the U.S., today we undermine that ideal with this decision.
“We are truly saddened by the adverse impact this decision will have on Muslim families” said Mufti Asif Umar, spokesperson for ICMSTL. “Loved ones will not be reunited with their family. Students who traveled for summer break will not be able to return to finish their education. Those seeking medical aid in the U.S. will now be denied”.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s injunction that had—until December 2017—prevented the Trump Administration from using Muslim Ban 3.0 as a basis for denying visas to foreign nationals from eight affected countries. In its decision, the Supreme Court granted extreme deference to the Trump Administration, which gives the administration the green light to inject discrimination back into our immigration system.
We call on people of all faiths and backgrounds to speak to their elected officials to educate them about how this decision impacts not only American-Muslims but the values that our nation stands for. We ask our allies to stand with their American-Muslim neighbors during this difficult time in our nation’s history. That we will rediscover and make America a symbol of liberty enlightening the world again as darkness envelopes lady liberty's torch.