Sigh.

You see this 10 year old girl? If you haven't already heard her story, today I'm going to share it with you. And then we're going to play a brief game before my rant. Here we go:

Undocumented Girl With Cerebral Palsy in Federal Custody After Being Stopped on Way to Texas Hospital

POSTED 2:31 PM, OCTOBER 26, 2017, BY CNN WIRE

An undocumented 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy was taken into US Customs and Border Protection custody shortly after emergency gallbladder surgery in Texas in a case that advocates say shows the harmful extent of the President’s hard line on immigration policies.

On Tuesday, Rosa Maria Hernandez and her adult cousin, a US citizen, had to go through an interior Border Patrol checkpoint while in an ambulance to get from Laredo, Texas, to a Corpus Christi hospital for emergency gallbladder surgery, family attorney Leticia Gonzalez said Thursday.

Customs and Border Protection runs checkpoints along major thoroughfares leading away from the border in the Southwest, where travelers and vehicles are checked for legal authorization to enter the United States.

Border patrol agents determined that Rosa Maria was undocumented and followed the pair to the hospital, where the girl underwent surgery. The agents remained at the hospital until she was discharged into their custody, according to Gonzalez. In a statement, the agency said agents “escorted” the pair to the hospital.

Rosa Maria is now in a shelter run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which falls under the Department of Health and Human Services, as is customary with undocumented, unaccompanied minors. The child remains without her parents, and it’s unclear when she’ll be released or what will happen to her, according to Gonzalez.

The family and their supporters characterized the apprehension as cruel and unnecessary, though immigration officials say the procedures were routine enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.

A child with special needs

Rosa Maria came to the United States from Mexico when she was 3 months old. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and has the mental capacity of a child half her age, according to her mother, Felipa De La Cruz, who said her daughter doesn’t understand what’s happening.

“I told her she was only there because she was recovering and when she was recovered that she could come with me,” she said Thursday. “I start to think about her, and I want to start crying, and I become desperate.”

De La Cruz was able to video chat with her daughter in the children’s home, but she still doesn’t know whether Rosa Maria will ever return home to Laredo.

While she was recovering in the hospital, up to four federal agents were stationed outside her open hospital room door, Gonzalez said. The agents did not allow Rosa Maria’s cousin to close the door for privacy. After Gonzalez arrived and demanded privacy, citing attorney-client privilege, it was eventually allowed, she said.

“Anywhere the child went, even within the hospital, for studies to surgery, the agents followed,” Gonzalez said.

In a statement, Customs and Border Protection said it was committed to enforcing the nation’s immigration laws. “Due to the juvenile’s medical condition, border patrol agents escorted her and her cousin to a Corpus Christi hospital where she could receive appropriate medical care. Per the immigration laws of the United States, once medically cleared she will be processed accordingly. The Mexican Consulate has been advised of the situation by Laredo Sector Border Patrol,” the agency said.

Health and Human Services said in a statement that it “does not identify individual (unaccompanied alien children) and will not comment on specific cases.”

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, lambasted the Trump administration, saying that too many people who pose no threat to national security are being deported.

The Department of Homeland Security “claims to be prioritizing its apprehension but Rosa Maria is not a threat to anyone’s safety. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has the discretion to release Rosa Maria anytime and they are choosing not to do so,” the congressman said, though the girl is not in that agency’s custody. “This is just one story but this administration’s immigration policies are affecting families across Texas and across the nation.”

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said the agency had no involvement in this specific case.

However, it has a “sensitive location” policy that prohibits routine enforcement arrests in hospitals, schools and churches, but that policy is distinct from Customs and Border Protection’s enforcement at checkpoints, where travelers must show documentation.

A family in distress

Rosa Maria remains in Health and Human Services custody, as virtually all undocumented unaccompanied minors are in immigration cases, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said.

The child’s 85-year-old grandfather — a legal permanent resident for 45 years — petitioned Customs and Border Protection for custody of his granddaughter. His request was denied, Gonzalez said.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement has procedures for finding sponsors and guardians to whom they can release minors in its custody.

The hospital discharge papers indicate that due to Rosa Maria’s diminished mental capacity, she needs to be cared for by people she knows and is comfortable with, her attorney said.

Typically in these types of cases, the office will find a sponsor for the minor, and then the notice to appear — which triggers immigration court proceedings — will be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s local Enforcement and Removal Operations field office, the official said.

That notice to appear usually comes from Customs and Border Protection once they encounter and process the individual. Enforcement and Removal Operations will file the notice with the immigration court, and a court date will be scheduled to begin removal proceedings.

An immigration judge makes the final ruling on whether to provide some sort of relief for the individual or could issue a final removal order, clearing the way for deportation, the official said.

The immigration court process can take years, and even after a removal order is issued, individuals can appeal the decision through the courts. Local immigration prosecutors can use some discretion as to who they prioritize for deportation proceedings, and President Barack Obama issued clear guidelines that prioritized public safety threats for immigration enforcement. The Trump administration, however, has said it may prioritize who it targets for enforcement but has made clear that any undocumented immigrant encountered by officers could end up in deportation proceedings.

The family has been told by immigration officials that Rosa Maria’s case will be processed on an expedited time frame, but no specific time frame was given, Gonzalez said.

“It’s painful for me to know that she’s there and that I can’t be tending to her now that she needs me,” De La Cruz said.

“It’s a sad day in America,” Gonzalez said.

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#HeartlessAmerica #TrumpismHasNoChristianMorals

Okay. Now for that game. I'm gonna share some facebook posts about this story, and I want you guys to guess which ones are from Muslims. Answers below, no peeking until you've guessed.

Okay.

Did you guess? Comment beside which ones you think may have been written by a Muslim (I'll explain why that matters shortly).

Ready? Okay. The answer is........

Absolutely none of them. And I know that's only 6 pics but there weren't many posts to begin with. Now, why am I mentioning this? What's this got to do with Islam or Muslims?

If you seriously have to ask, that's part of the problem and you answered for yourself.

Recently, we had a khateeb at a local Masjid come for Jum'ah and his khutbah was related to all this DACA/Immigration stuff and why we as Muslims should care and be vocal and stand up against the injustices being committed against targeted communities. He related it to Islam in so many ways and brought a few ayaat and ahadith about justice and the role Muslims should play in the world around us. He talked about the morals and values the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught and lived by, the commitment to justice and standing against oppression.

And for those who were unaware of the situation, he explained the political environment to the audience to make us understand. He also briefly talked about how it doesn't just affect the Mexican or Latino population in our country but has also affected many others. He gave cases of fellow Muslims also being targeted by this and other discriminatory policies, he briefly touched on police brutality and the African-American population, etc etc. He talked about the people here in America who are being targeted and harmed by a corrupt and oppressive system, and why we as Muslims should care. He mentioned that sometimes these are our Muslim brothers and sisters being harmed, and even when they're not, THEY ARE HUMAN, AND WE SHOULD CARE REGARDLESS OF IF WE HAVE SIMILARITIES AND TIES WITH THEM OR NOT.

Now, at this particular Masjid, most of the congregation are in three groups. Arabs. Pakistanis. Everybody else. It's sad, but many of the people stick to "their own," (not always, some people have little pockets of diverse friend groups). But anyways, so, in those first two groups, almost 90% (besides the youth) are first generation immigrants from their country. And many many many of them have an attitude of only caring when it's "their people" or someone they know or are close to.

He pointed out the error in this line of thinking and then as I said, he told everyone about the situation. Now, for a super simplified explanation to anyone who doesn't know, our country elected a racist, cold-hearted, tangerine turd to be president and he built his campaign on bigoted policies (Muslim ban, build the wall, etc etc). To appease his so-called conservative Christian (they're about as Christian as a donut is healthy) fanbase, he's been trying to enact some of those awful policies (Alhamdulillah, Muslim ban 3.0 was shut down recently, but they're trying again!)

What DACA is is basically this. Children who were brought into the U.S illegally before the age of 18 (ie when they'd be legal adults and could be legally responsible to make decisions about where they go to) should be allowed to stay instead of being deported. These are people who were brought here as young children, MOST as babies or toddlers, by their parents, so they grew up here, their whole lives were built here, and then suddenly Trumpists want to deport them to a country that's foreign to them. To uproot them and throw them out as punishment for a crime they didn't commit, and the part they had in it was no fault of their own. What kid at 3 years old is gonna say "No Mama, Papa, sneaking into America is bad, I'll stay here in xyz country!"

Imagine, if you will, a scenario like this. A desperate mother sneaks her starving child into a grocery store and steals a few items to make a sandwich for the kid. Just meat bread and leaf of lettuce. The hungry kid listens to his mom and starts to eat. Then out of nowhere the big hairy security guard comes and body slams the mom and punches the kid in the gut to make him spit up whatever he ate before he smacks the sandwich out of his hand and arrests them both for theft.

Now, by word of the law, the mom did commit a criminal act. A judge may choose if deserves punishment or leniency depending on the truth of her circumstances and such. Maybe she had other options, maybe she wasn't really so poor, maybe she didn't try anything else to fix her situation. Whatever. If she gets sentenced, that's a separate matter. BUT WHY SHOULD THE KID, WHO WAS GIVEN SOMETHING ILLEGAL THROUGH NO FAULT OF HIS OWN BE PUNISHED? Why should he be banned from the store for life?

And again, back to real life, these people grew up in America and have their lives established here. School, careers, families, their whole lives just get uprooted and they're thrown out into nowhere or locked up in detention facilities, often separated from their families (ahem see the above article). Is that fair? Is that just? Is that moral?

Legal law =/= right

So anyways, back to my rant, the khateeb, who as you may have guessed is a social activist, talked about ways we Muslims can get involved in helping to stand against this cruelty and others. He and his team (#CAIR) were having info booths and planned marches and things to do to help. He also mentioned a march against the Muslim Ban and some stuff that does directly affect us, but he reminded the audience don't be the types to only care when you're the target. Just because when Trump says build the wall and deport the immigrants, he means Mexicans and you happen to be from Palestine or Pakistan, doesn't mean it's got nothing to do with so you shouldn't care. You're a Muslim, your concern is with justice and peace, your concern is with humanity and caring for all your fellow children of Adam  (peace be upon him) who are being wronged and oppressed.

So after the Khutbah guess what?

No, really, guess.

People were mad and whining about the khutbah being too political and unimportant and blah blah blah didn't learn anything blah blah blah.

*facepalm*

Even people in my circle were expressing these views and it took so much in me not to smack them right outside the Masjid doors.

YOU BRAINLESS MOOKS! If you pulled your pretentious potato heads out of your backsides you would have seen that it wasn't about politics or voting or being some stupid party name or another. It was about life. It was about real, every day life. It was about your morals and ethics. It was about the Islamic values we inherited and what we should practice of standing up for justice.

Allah didn't say, "You are the best ummah raised up for mankind because you're Arab or Desi or African etc etc etc."

No! We're supposed to enforce good and forbid evil.

Things like these THUGS stopping an ambulance with a sick CHILD and then holding her in their custody away from her family and treating her like a threat despite her just having surgery, that's evil, SO FORBID IT!

Things like standing together as a community to seek justice and protection for the weak and targeted folks amongst us, that's good, so enforce it!

These people want to be such sellouts when it comes to everything else. So many in this particular community here want to water down or downplay their Islamic identity and be "tooootally American" and soooo patriotic when everyone sees them, driving around with flags on their cars and stickers and all that mess, they want to argue so much about modernism and being American when you correct them on something in Islam, but then it comes to something that should tie both identities together (ie Muslim and American citizen) they start acting like stupid goldfish.

Or they throw flimsly arguments on why they don't care or didn't like the khutbah.

"Oh he didn't talk about Syria! There are kids there too! Oh he didn't talk about Palestine! Hey why didn't he do another khutbah about praying or not judging people for shaving?"

Bro. YOU'RE ALLOWED TO FOCUS ON MORE THAN ONE TRAGEDY IN YOUR LIFE.

We all hurt for Syria, Palestine, the people facing ethnic cleansing in the Myanmar and CAR, etc etc. We do. But it's not like every week must be only talk about those places or else you've neglected them and don't care.

People mad he didn't talk about Syria as if he dissed them...HE'S FREAKN FROM SYRIA! HE'S AN IMMIGRANT WITH FAMILY STILL THERE SUFFERING! OF COURSE HE CARES!

But he's also here in America now. And he cares about the people suffering here too. The injustice that he sees and he can stop. He can't reach his hand out and catch all the bullets and bombs raining in Syria or Palestine. But he can raise his voice and get involved in things locally to stop injustices here. To support innocents here. Especially when it comes to children.

A child dying or being abused and mistreated is sad anywhere in the world. America, Mexico, Afghanistan, China, France, Sudan, WHEREVER.

And just... ugh I've been writing this rant over an hour and I'm mentally exhausted. Idk what more I can say.

How can those in power here be so heartless and cruel to do that to a little girl?! To anyone! And these same people supporting this are the ones who cry everytime they see a hijabi or get mad when someone doesn't stand for the national anthem or stupid flag because "muh Christian values, muh murica, God, Country, Family."

Piss off, you don't care about God. You lying dopes elected a fraudulent, money-grubbing, immoral, sexual predator into office and you have the nerve to talk about protecting Christian values? Get out of here.

How Christ-like is it to target poor refugees with discriminatory laws and turn your backs to them? How Christ-like is it to deny health care and treatment to millions of people in need meanwhile lining the pockets of corporate bozos and protecting your banks and special interest groups? And don't even get me started on the out right racism and bigotry.

That's not Christ-like at all. That's not American either. That's inhumane. That’s toxic, political bull crap and you can't justify it no matter what executive orders are signed into law or what manner of circus clown you elect as president.

And as for my fellow Muslims who have the ignorant attitude of not caring and being nonchalant about injustices taking place around you just because it didn't happen to you personally or the majority of victims are not Muslims, WAKE UP! The ummah is in a lowly state because so many stopped practicing Islam! Yeah, we love to tout our line about fastest growing religion in the world, but how many are actually living Islam? Why are we no longer the pillar of light and leadership for the world? How come, the ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who was sent as a mercy to MANKIND, is not at the forefront of bringing justice, peace, and goodwill to the people? Why aren't we the center of knowledge and wisdom and morality like in the past.

Islam didn't change. So why did we?

Why did we get caught up in greed and divisions and stupid things like tribalism and caring only for our "own?" Why did we sink so low?

And now we wonder why we have so many many issues worldwide. As adherents to the religion of Islam, we should be ambassadors of the Messenger of Allah  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). We should be examples of his way, showing the world what type of person he was, what type of morals and values he had, what sort of justice and humanity he preached. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) filled so many roles in his life. Prophet, leader, husband, father, teacher, judge, just to name a few.

And he wasn't those things exclusively to the Arabs or the immediate people who embraced Islam. His lessons are an example for all mankind. He prayed for his ummah collectively. And when he acted as a judge and a ruler, he didn't do so with injustice or indifference towards non-Muslims or non-Arabs etc. He was fair and good to all.

And we should be too. We should care when we hear about people being oppressed, even if we have no ties to them. If the world continues on with stupid close-minded views, there will never be justice, peace, or unity in good. If we don't talk about these topics and reserve the pulpit only to remind you "hey, pray 5 times a day, hey, read Quran more, hey, it's Ramadan," then you'll never grow and learn. Islam isn't limited only to the obvious ritual types of worship. So don't cry when that's not what the khutbah was about. And the values of justice and humanity in Islam aren't limited only to the Arab or South Asian world. So don't get your izaar's twisted in a bunch when the khateeb talks about other places. Okay? Are we clear? Good.

3428 words... Sigh