If you mess up in life, do so in front of the wise who will correct you, not the foolish who will humiliate you nor your enemies to exploit you.

I suppose it’s no surprise, we Muslims are under intense scrutiny and surveillance, not only by our family, friends and coworkers, but also the government. It is more and more becoming common knowledge that just about everything you say and do, wherever you go, whoever you meet, is likely recorded and filed. As long as the battery is in your phone and your license plate is properly attached, these devices can be tracked. For most citizens, these agencies simply do not have the resources to read about the activities of every single person. Such information may be disregarded unless a crime has occurred. However, some of these agencies may give extra attention to the Muslims, especially the zealous and influential ones and also those ethnic Muslims with connections to war torn countries, particularly Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and Iraq and let’s not forget, Muslims from Saudi Arabia, the origin of the supposed 9/11 hijackers.

When you increase in faith and meet more Muslims, you feel stronger about the pains that their communities overseas are struggling through. Don’t let that emotion and boiling blood drive you to type out a heated Facebook or twitter post. Choose your words carefully, and avoid slang and jokes that could possibly be misinterpreted.[1] If, however, the FBI does ring your doorbell one day, do not panic. Remember your right to remain silent and refuse to speak without the presence of an attorney. In most cases, the FBI just asks seemingly stupid questions, to test your honesty and butter you up to make you more talkative, so be weary of what could be used against you. Even saying to a policeman, “I didn’t do anything wrong,” can be grounds for additional charges like lying to an officer. Talking to the police and the FBI usually does not have any benefit unless you are clearly the victim of a crime.

Since Muslims are, from time to time, involved in legal battles for their rights, there are many organizations that specialize in providing that help and advising Muslims. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), CAIR (Council of American Islamic Relations) and the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) are a few examples of such organizations. In addition, many individuals dedicate their legal professions to helping out wrongfully targeted Muslims, or people who have wrongly been placed on a no-fly list or unreasonably barred from living freely. It would be wise to read up on some of the cases these organizations have involving Muslims to understand how they got into trouble so you can avoid similar life obstacles. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, know, just as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said to his younger cousin, ibn ‘Abbaas, that if all the world was to collaborate to benefit or harm you with anything, they could not do so without Allah’s Permission. So everything is a test from Allah. Allah is in control so He can remove the test in the blink of an eye. Lastly, it has been narrated that the Prophet ﷺ  would frequently supplicate and ask Allah’s protection from overwhelming debt, bad fate, being overpowered by enemies, and the difficult moment of when a calamity strikes. Incorporate that invocation into your prayers and keep your trust in Allah always.

[1] Two young British tourists, no connections with Islam, were banned from the United States for five years because one of them tweeted “going to destroy America this Saturday,” and they failed to persuade the DHS and TSA that this was an expression for hard partying. Other people have been visited by the FBI because they googled “pressure cooker” after the Boston Marathon bombing.