What I believe Juan Williams did was express, unfortunately, the position of many Americans in their distrust of Muslims. I am Muslim. My father’s name has Muhammad in it. We would be profiled if we go through airports because, you know, I buy tickets at the last minute and I fall into the classic profile that you have.
But I got to tell you, when I went to Great Falls Park the other day, and I saw a woman in a full-face veil and her husband had a little leather bag that wasn’t looking like a picnic basket, I felt a little nervous. And there was a park ranger behind me who clearly was on their tail.
What Juan Williams expressed, I believe, is the sentiment of many people and including Muslims. Muslims profile each other all the time. When you walk into a mosque and you see other Muslims, you say, oh look, he looks like a Jihadi.
Asra Nomani, author of Standing Alone: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam
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