5 minute read
I am Not Your Model Minority
“I am not your model minority”
Living in North America as a Muslim has been challenging due to the region's increasingly polarized climate. In recent years, we’ve witnessed injustices brought out by the Trump administration’s ‘Muslim Ban,’ as well as recent spike in hate crimes hitting an all-time high since 2001. Those enduring this experience largely consist of an immigrant population — namely Asian immigrants — and learned their values, traditions, and way of life from their elders. For the older generations of Muslims living abroad, these values are deeply rooted in the model minority narrative. However, in order to combat racism in the pursuit of justice, our activism must transcend past performative actions, including rejecting the narrative that most of us relate to.
The model minority refers to racialized members of society who defy all odds to become wealthy and successful. These people capture the American dream and are praised for being the “good kind” of minority — the ones you wouldn’t mind living in your neighborhood. The model minority namely uplifts Asian Americans for their upward mobility and integration into our society, as opposed to minorities who couldn’t. Not only does this myth perpetuate the narrative that Asians are naturally more intelligent, more successful, and more submissive than others, it pits racialized groups against one another. While many of our parents taught us that passivity and academic excellence grants full assimilation into society, the reality is that a majority of Asians and immigrants still feel like the “Other.” The truth is, this narrative does not guarantee permanent acceptance from society, but instead is a fleeting fragment of past racial politics.
If the model minority narrative cannot save us from hate crimes, what is it good for? In the struggle for assimilation during the past century, racialized minorities fought to be accepted into the mainstream. Ellen Wu describes how assimilation necessitates respect from the majority population; immigrants have long fought for this acceptance by promoting themselves as neighborly, hardworking citizens who won’t cause a fuss. After the internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s, and anti-Chinese immigration laws in the 50s, East Asians fought for acceptance by tapping into the idea of the perfect family — one that ‘doesn’t cause trouble.’ During the Civil Rights movement, African Americans attempted the same appeal by wearing their Sunday best while marching, and doing so peacefully. But because anti-Black racism is systemically rooted in our institutions, their efforts were ultimately rejected. Conversely, the Asian diaspora was not only accepted by the mainstream but began experiencing upward mobility by the 1960s, as immigration laws based on skill sets were introduced. The contrast between these groups demonstrates how the model minority only further divides racialized groups.
Why It Is Harmful
It can be said that the model minority narrative saved the livelihood of Asian immigrants With Asian populations growing rapidly by the turn of the century, including the influx of South Asian and Arab migrants, the narrative of our communities’ success began to form. Today, it’s why we’re seen in the mainstream as hardworking doctors and engineers – anything STEM-oriented that guarantees wealth. It’s a narrative that has stuck with our parents and grandparents. The belief that we’ve attained upward mobility solely through education is untrue and inherently racist. The glamorization of our apparent success is often utilized to erase white guilt concerning the oppression and inequalities of Black populations. Denying the reparations marginalized populations are deserving of and comparing their systemic failures with the “self-made” success of Asians implies, “if they became successful all on their own, why can’t you?” Furthermore, education is not enough to end racial and economic inequality; that all Asians are more successful or wealthy due to our levels of education is false. In fact, for Southeast Asians such as the Vietnamese, poverty and unemployment rates are much higher than the US average. Further, many communities within the diaspora migrate as asylum seekers, including many refugees coming from Muslim countries. Therefore, this narrative must be dismantled because it continues to rely on anti-Black agendas, and also undermines part of the Asian diaspora that does not benefit from the narrative at all.
How do we dismantle this?
Dismantling the model minority myth begins with us. Considering the myth through a racial and religious lens is important because much of our understanding of societal acceptance derives from both of these identities. As a South Asian Muslim, I can relate to measuring my acceptance and sense of security in the mainstream through academic success. Especially in a post 9/11 world, and more recently during the Trump era, it is evident that the guarantee of security and prosperity instilled by this myth is false. It is becoming more and more clear that our “acceptance” in society is not guaranteed, and therefore submitting to this narrative is harmful to all racial minorities. Additionally, as being a “model citizen” requires passiveness and invisibility, it restricts our efforts in political participation and activism. Dismantling the myth thus requires efforts in actively protesting injustices such as xenophobia and anti-Black racism. We can look to the story of Yuri Kochiyama, an activist during the Civil Rights movement, for inspiration in doing so. Kochiyama and Malcolm X crossed paths and formed an unlikely friendship, as both were leaders in their communities fighting for similar social causes.
The depiction of the passive, quiet citizen does not have to be the standard. Looking at the story of a Japanese-American woman and a Black Muslim revert rallying for the same cause of racial justice 50 years ago, it is evident that building solidarity between communities is essential. Instead of letting the model minority myth pit groups against each other, we should strive for unity and justice. While the model minority myth implies a general acceptance of Asians in society, the recent spike in hate crimes demonstrates how its promise of security is a temporary fix. As seen in the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting and the Quebec City mosque shooting, Islamophobic attacks have also risen in recent years. The expectations and stereotypes inflicted upon these groups cannot be evaluated through the model minority myth any longer. Dismantling this narrative will allow us to deconstruct harmful racial norms and further our understanding of systemic racism.
Neutrality often lies on the side of the oppressor. Part of our Islamic duty is to actively pursue justice, whether it relates to our own freedoms or that of another’s. It is not enough to show support on the sidelines or to only speak out when it's easy. When the fight for justice is most difficult, that is when it is most important. Submitting to the myth of the model minority is selfish and it renders useless against the systemic barriers of racism and classism that are ingrained in our society. Islam commands us to reject all injustice, including the covert violence of the model minority narrative. We are taught this lesson over and over:
