Whiteness and the Weaponization of Religion
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The Syrian community in Indiana, particularly in Michigan City, was marked by the weaponization of religion. The denial of citizenship by the government, based on the argument that Syrians were "Asiatic" rather than white, intensified racism and fueled resentment toward Syrians in the press. As Curtis notes, when conflicts arose within or between minorities, the press would often label them as "race riots," framing Syrians as foreigners who did not belong in the United States. This racialized portrayal added pressure on Syrian Christians to distance themselves from Syrian Muslims, aligning more with the racist white rhetoric that depicted Muslims as barbaric and uncivilized.
These tensions were not solely due to religious differences; struggles over economic resources, social status, and political rights also drove them. Both Syrian Christians and Muslims faced societal discrimination that made whiteness seem like a path to increased acceptance and social mobility. In an attempt to access these benefits, Syrian Christians emphasized their religious difference, marking Syrian Muslims as the problem within the Syrian community in Michigan and back in Syria to position themselves as more aligned with American whiteness while further reinforcing the perception of Islam as incompatible with American identity.
This distancing did not imply that Syrian Christians were solely responsible for the division; instead, it reflects how the broader racist system pressured minorities to seek whiteness as a route to social and economic advancement. Thus, the Syrian community in Indiana experienced significant internal tensions as individuals navigated the pressures and challenges of a racially and religiously discriminatory society.