New York’s mayoral race exposes the deep roots of American Islamophobia | Ahmed Moor

Islamophobic attacks on Zohran Mamdani are a reminder of the difference between individual and structural prejudice

My only interaction with the FBI came soon after 11 September 2001. A man and woman visited my family's home in Philadelphia - we had recently moved from Palestine - showed their credentials and asked to enter. My parents invited them in and a conversation about political views followed. They left soon afterwards but I knew we were suspect, and I understood why.

At the time, I was in high school. Two or three years later, one of my sisters, who wore the hijab then, was confronted by an elderly white man at a department store. What's the significance of the trash you're wearing on your head?" he asked.

Ahmed Moor is a writer and fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace