Komal Naqvi on White Privilege and Islamophobia
“I’ve always believed that the best way to make change is through political advocacy and I feel that standing up for issues that affect our student body is an amazing place to start. I want to be there for the people I represent.”
Politics and activism are a huge passion in Komal Naqvi’s life. As a full-time undergraduate student at Rutgers University, Komal was recently elected as Senator at the Douglass Residential College through Knights for Change. Knights for Change is a student body government organized by Rutgers students. I was lucky enough to discuss her experiences with racial bias, how it affected her mental health and how we can prevent this. Here, I recognize the privileges I was afforded as someone who is white and has received more opportunities, due to my race. Education has failed us. I admit, that I, too, can be very ignorant on these issues and need to further educate myself, regarding history and Middle Eastern studies. In fact, I learned more about history through Komal than I have in any history class I have taken in middle and high school. Hate crimes have increased exponentially. Systemic oppression is prevalent everywhere, and now that our current president is reinforcing Islamophobia…it is crucial that we provide a safe space and educate the public.
So what were your experiences growing up in Pakistan?
Komal: So I actually wasn’t born in Pakistan. I grew up in Brooklyn and I moved from NY in 2001. So basically my experiences aren’t strong examples of Islamophobia. I know my sister dealt with it a lot more. Like, she would be asked, “Oh, are you Osama Bin Laden’s daughter? Is he your uncle?” Basically, asking her, are you related to the terrorist and things like that. For me, it was very common to not tell people you’re Muslim. They felt like it was a lot easier to avoid anything and not have people ask you questions and go on their merry way. I remember one time, my brother was asked from an older white man, “are you Muslim?” to my brother who is in preschool! It’s kind of like, why are you asking that? What’s your purpose and intent? And it kind of just gives you anxiety already. I’m not sure if this relates to Islamophobia or just xenophobia in general, but when we were first buying our house, the people we were buying the house from were really nice. They were really working with us because my dad couldn’t afford the amount they were asking for. They lowered the amount of the house so we would be able to afford it. It’s pretty big, it’s a nice area. But my neighborhood is very Catholic and there are many churches in my town and it’s very religious. And they had a meeting. It was a bunch of white old ladies to discuss whether or not we should even be living there. They called this woman and said, “We don’t want you to sell this house to them because we don’t want brown people living in our town.”
Wow, I am sorry to hear about that. I also apologize for assuming that you were born and raised in Pakistan. I might have gotten confused with someone else. But, how do you think these experiences have affected your mental health?
Komal: I’m really anxious living in my town. Even though were located in Central Jersey, my town is very Republican. So growing up, I was always concerned for my black friends. People had blatant, Confederate flags on the back of their pick-up trucks and I didn’t really understand. I’m always concerned for them because it wasn’t too long ago where we had a Confederate flag flying in our town hall. When my best friend moved there, that’s when she told me that her father had asked if they could take it down, otherwise they didn’t want to move their family there. It obviously made them feel unsafe. I used to be really scared to go outside. As a person of color, you’re just very aware of everything because you see yourself as the person who’s being discriminated against, as you’re growing up. Even in class, things that people would say, you could understand that people were mocking you. When I was younger especially, I didn’t have the language to talk to these people to say, “Hey, what you’re saying is really hurting me. It’s effecting how I view my own culture.” I remember kids would make fun of Indian culture and then, just blatantly group us all into one category. So, I’ve been made fun of for wearing henna. Growing up in a community like this, you kind of have to take a step back and analyze everything. The way I grew up, I just had to realize things weren’t in my favor. There were also opportunities I didn’t get because people saw me as the model minority, Smart Asian, quote on quote, “Indian kid,” even though I’m not Indian…it still kind of made me think that there are opportunities that I’m not getting and why are they so hard to reach? One thing I’m thinking about right now is Honors Society. Most of my friends were black, from South America. We were all really smart and all of us tried REALLY hard in school. But the kids who were always chosen for Honors Society were the white kids, who were like the teachers favorites. It was so obvious that none of my teachers wanted to give me or my group of friends a letter of recommendation for Honors Society. I was in the top 25, but since our high school was so small only the top 10 were chosen.
So, this leads me to my next question, how would you describe white privilege to someone who isn’t familiar with this issue?
Komal: One thing we talk about in a class I’m taking, called Feminism, Policy & Poor, is that some people aren’t going to have the same opportunities or life chances as somebody who is white, just because the system generally favors white people. It’ s easier for white people to get jobs. It’s easier for them to get access to opportunities. For example, there are people of color who come into bankruptcy and are unemployed, simply because they’re colored. As opposed to a while person who is unemployed or coming to bankruptcy because of a financial issue within a company. They lost their home because of their financial decisions. A black person could lose their home because they refused to give them the same extensions as they would a white person. They wouldn’t trust them as much. They can be in the same situation for different reasons. That’s why there is this disparity. There are white people who struggle the same way as black people do, but not because of their race.
Absolutely. But, how can we make people more aware of this issue?
Komal: Education. We need more workshops in the local level. I really believe in a big government and I think they should take responsibility in having cultural education, cultural advocacy. We need to be supportive in the community and let other people know that other cultures exist. One thing about white people is that as a person of color, this can be very difficult to talk about. White people need to call out other white people. It’s hard as a person of color to constantly see that you’re systematically oppressed and then call them out on it. It affects your mental health.
So, how are you and your family coping with our current president (even though I should just refer to him as #45 because I refuse to acknowledge him as a President)?
Komal: My parents have gone through different presidents in this country, so they’re not as concerned. They were concerned about Medicaid. My dad always keeps up with politics, but he’s been through so much shit that he can handle anything that comes his way. He’s strong. Me and my sister were very distraught and effected. I took a couple of days off from class because I was crying. I had to watch political satire shows just to find humor in this situation. My personal belief is that if you want to fight something, do it politically, which is why my major is Political science and Women & Gender studies. I feel like local and state politics are very important. No matter what happens on the federal level, as long as our state is strong. I want to find an internship that deals with state work and local districts because I feel like that’s very important. We have to take it one step at a time. My brother, Sean is like a little firecracker. He’s 13. I remember when I first started telling him not to tell people he was Muslim. I knew that when I was growing up I didn’t have that kind of language so how was he going to know? The thing is, he has that language and I think it’s because my sister and I have that influence on him. He’ll talk to kids about being Muslim and educate them. I’m a little anxious because kids are very mean and they regurgitate everything. Little kids are really influenced by their parents. One girl told my brother’s friend that he was going to have to leave the country because he was Mexican. Their parents don’t care. My brother is learning not to internalize things. I did when I was a kid.
Well, I feel like that has to do with gender roles too. Females are more likely to internalize and ruminate over our emotions and men tend to distract themselves. This is just how society has been for so long. What kind of advice would you give someone who is currently facing oppression and Islamophobia?
Komal: I would find a community. Find a place to talk about what has happened to you with people who are similar to you. You need solidarity, no matter what level it is. If it’s with your family, or other Muslims in the community or people of color, you need to find other people you can trust and talk to about. Even that small aspect of organizing, I feel like you can take it to a lot of places. You don’t always have to be political but you can organize a club, if you want. I know people in different high schools who have had a social education class. You can’t just be ignorant. Most of the things people say stem from people not knowing or not understanding, and that results in fear.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Komal: My dream goal would be to run for something, whether it’s Board of Education or working for non-profit organizations. I want to work for Grass Roots Activist Work. That’s what I’m really passionate about because I feel like we can accomplish a lot on the state level. One of my passions is domestic violence work in the South Asian community.
What are some of the stigmas that people have about the Middle East?
Komal: So Pakistan actually isn’t part of the Middle East. It’s part of South Asia. We used to be one country with India. The construction of the Middle East is very western. I don’t call it the Middle East. I call it Arab States or Gulf States. But, yeah I’m south Asian because I have south Asian cultures and practices. And then Afghanistan onto the west is considered the Middle East.
Okay, so that’s a stigma right there, how I assumed Pakistan to be part of the Middle East!
Komal: A lot of people say that just because it’s an Islamic- Republic. I’m Shiam-Muslim and I face A LOT of oppression. Shia’s are 20% of the Muslim population and Sunni’s are 80%. In Pakistan, we’re seen as not being Muslim, even though our belief system follows the prophet-Mohammed’s family. Basically, what the Taliban target are Shia’s. We have very limited political leadership in Pakistan as well. My personal experiences have more to do with living in America. What people expect with living in Pakistan is that it’s all impoverished, it’s in ruins, there’s no education for women, but that’s just a stereotype, honestly. Like my mom has a Bachelor’s in Education. My dad has a Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s and he got a Master’s in International Relations. To think of Pakistan as an impoverished country is something that the Westerners have made it out to be.
So before you get offended the next time someone tells you to “check your privilege,” think of the racial remarks and stereotypes that persist. Put your own beliefs to the side for a moment and empathize with those, like Komal and her siblings, who have been victims of racial inequality. Next time you hear a racial slur or joke, I encourage you to take advantage of your privilege and raise your voice to shed light on this topic. Even though it may not be affecting you specifically, it can be detrimental to someone who faces this bias on a consistent basis. Creating a safe space and empathizing with those who are less fortunate than us is extremely important.
If you’re interested in learning more about privilege, I highly recommend taking this Buzzfeed quiz here.
