Mosques Consider Sanctuary For Immigrants : NPR
Omar Suleiman
"So I think that announcing yourself as a sanctuary has its implications  whether you're a mosque  a church  a synagogue  or anything "  Imam Omar Suleiman  told NPR's Renee Montagne.
 Suleiman  is the founder and president of the Yaqueen Institute for Islamic Research near Dallas  Texas.  He  says ICE has been particularly aggressive in Dallas  where the area leads the country in the number of deportations since the election of Donald Trump.
Last year   Suleiman  was one of the people calling for mosques to join the sanctuary movement in response to increased deportation. The adversity that the Muslim and Latino communities face is similar   he  said.
"I think the tools that have been employed against immigrants are the same tools that have been employed against refugees  which are the same tools that have been employed against the Muslim community as a whole  which is the dehumanization — the 'otherizing' — that allows people to subconsciously accept this idea that we somehow do not deserve the same level of dignity and respect and liberty that everybody else does "  Suleiman  says.
But there is already a deep anti-Muslim sentiment   he  adds  pointing at mosque burnings that have taken place since President Trump was elected.  He  says Muslims are already under a lot of scrutiny and an additional layer to that could exacerbate something that is already an issue and endanger both the Muslim and the Latino communities.
"So I think that announcing yourself as a sanctuary has its implications  whether you're a mosque  a church  a synagogue  or anything [TGT]told NPR's Renee Montagne.
 [TGT]is the founder and president of the Yaqueen Institute for Islamic Research near Dallas  Texas.  [TGT]  says ICE has been particularly aggressive in Dallas  where the area leads the country in the number of deportations since the election of Donald Trump.
Last year   [TGT]was one of the people calling for mosques to join the sanctuary movement in response to increased deportation. The adversity that the Muslim and Latino communities face is similar   [TGT]  said.
"I think the tools that have been employed against immigrants are the same tools that have been employed against refugees  which are the same tools that have been employed against the Muslim community as a whole  which is the dehumanization — the 'otherizing' — that allows people to subconsciously accept this idea that we somehow do not deserve the same level of dignity and respect and liberty that everybody else does "  Suleiman  says.
But there is already a deep anti-Muslim sentiment   he  adds  pointing at mosque burnings that have taken place since President Trump was elected.  He  says Muslims are already under a lot of scrutiny and an additional layer to that could exacerbate something that is already an issue and endanger both the Muslim and the Latino communities.