possible in a teen room. You just don’t know that, because you probably spent every weekend of seventh grade partying with people’s parents. You know that’s how they get you, right?”
I make the left onto Peachtree. “I don’t think it’s that diabolical, Soph. People are just trying to celebrate their kids.”
“I’m just saying. And even if Mom says no to the teen room, eighth grade is going to be totally different. Tessa said she’s having a no-parents birthday party this year, so yeah. We’re doing Spin the Bottle, we’re doing Seven Minutes in Heaven, we’re doing Suck and Blow—”
“Excuse me?”
“With a playing card. Jamie, you’re so innocent. Anyway, the other thing . . .”
But suddenly, something from the radio catches my attention. A name. “Imam Shaheed Jackson, from the Brookhaven Community Mosque, here with us today to discuss . . .”
I turn the volume up. “What is this?” Sophie asks.
“NPR.”
“Well, obviously—”
“I want to hear this. I think this guy was at the Jordan Rossum iftar.”
And for the rest of the ride to The Temple, Sophie and I don’t speak. We just listen.
“A new bill,” says Tammy Adrian, who’s hosting the segment, “introduced this morning by Republican state representative Ian Holden, calls for a partial ban on head and facial coverings while participating in certain public activities—including driving a car. Imam Jackson, thanks for coming on Real Talk. Tell me, what could legislation like this mean for the Muslim community here in Georgia?”
“Thank you, Tammy, for having me on. I think we’re still absorbing the implications of a bill like this. But what we do know is this: this bill is unnecessary. It is based in fear. And it’s yet another attempt by Republican lawmakers to limit the freedom of Muslim citizens to participate in the full range of daily life in this state and in this country.”
“Proponents of the bill—like state senate candidate Asa Newton, who tried unsuccessfully to push through a bill like this when he was a congressman years ago—argue this is not about any particular faith—it’s a safety measure barring facial and head coverings for all people. How would you respond to that?”
“We can pretend this bill doesn’t target Muslims, but we all saw that the language of the proposed bill, which was published this morning, uses the pronoun she exclusively. This law is designed to impact women wearing facial and head coverings.”
“Holden’s spokesperson did issue a statement saying it was a typo and nothing more.”
“More like something they forgot to hide before the bill was released.”
“It does indeed raise some questions about its intent,” says Tammy. “And what listeners may not know is that H.B. 28 is actually modeled after an existing bill that was introduced in the 1950s to protect Georgians from the Ku Klux Klan. But Holden’s proposed bill broadens the restrictions so they now disproportionately affect Muslim women. Newton was unsuccessful in passing the bill in the nineties, but he’s hopeful it may gain momentum now due to our current political climate.”
Sophie’s voice is soft. “That’s awful.”
“Yeah.” I exhale. “Wow.”
“. . . seen a spike in hate crimes,” Imam Jackson is saying. “And what a bill like this does—it flips the narrative. The reality is, here in Georgia, Muslim women are the victims of hate crimes. But they are not the aggressors. And yet the result of a bill like this . . .”
“Jamie, you’re about to pass The Temple.”
“Oh.” I make an abrupt right turn.
“. . . Doyle is a pragmatic Republican governor, and he’s stated he intends to veto H.B. 28. So the passage of this bill will depend on whether the GOP can override Doyle’s veto with supermajorities in both the House and the Senate. Since the GOP recently flipped the Thirty-Fourth Senate District, they just need to keep the Fortieth District red to get their supermajority,” Tammy is saying. “This is the seat recently vacated by Republican John Graham, who was elected to the US House of Representatives in a special election this February. Democratic candidate Jordan Rossum has already released a statement condemning this bill as an affront to the dignity and religious freedom of the Muslim community here in Georgia.”
“He’s absolutely right,” Imam Jackson says. “And these are the conversations we need to be having. What do we mean when we say we honor religious liberty? Who are we picturing in our minds at that moment?”
“It raises the stakes immensely for the upcoming special election,” Tammy says.
I park in the side lot of The Temple, staring straight