Aziz is unable to talk about his political beliefs or his views on U.S. foreign policy because he worries he will be misunderstood or misrepresented. He is cognizant that although he is an American citizen, he has been marked as a foreign other and a potential threat. His allegiance can be questioned easily because of his religious identity. For Muslim men, an increase in their religiosity can also incite suspicion about Muslim men. Aziz gets uncomfortable when he is asked questions about his religion at work because he worries that he is being “bucketed” as a type of Muslim, the “bad” kind. Aziz self-surveils through silencing himself because of the anxiety of surveillance. The inability to contribute to public discourse is a form of political disempowerment.

Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, loc. 423