Under the new travel ban, grandparents are considered a terrorist threat.
Last week, US President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban was partially reinstated by the Supreme Court.
The revised executive order will prevent people from six Muslim-majority countries – Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – from entering the US for 90 days, unless they have a “bona fide” relationship with a person or entity already in the country.
The Trump administration has interpreted this as a “close, familial relationship”, which means a parent, spouse, child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, or sibling of a US resident is allowed to enter the country.
However, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and other extended family members are not included under this definition.
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As the ban went into effect on Thursday, Muslims around the world took to social media to highlight how silly it is that their elderly relatives are considered a security threat.
Sharing a photograph of a grandmother kissing her grandson on the cheek, NIAC Action tweeted: “#MuslimBan has reached a new low – these are our #GrandparentsNotTerrorists!”
#MuslimBan has reached a new low – these are our #GrandparentsNotTerrorists! pic.twitter.com/Ho1ST5CT16
— NIAC Action (@NIACAction) June 29, 2017
Others quickly caught on, and soon Twitter was awash with sweet snaps from family albums.
Because Trump doesn’t think I have a bonafide relationship with my grandpa…. #GrandparentsNotTerrorists #NoMuslimBan pic.twitter.com/fncoLcLWkQ
— Ida Adibi (@ida_adibi) June 29, 2017
This is my lovely grandma. @realDonaldTrump does she look like a terrorist to you? #GrandparentsNotTerrorists pic.twitter.com/KkciEWBM1t
— Elham Khatami (@ekhatami) June 29, 2017
Hey @realDonaldTrump, does my grandpa look dangerous to you? #GrandparentsNotTerrorists pic.twitter.com/zkylDcEd5z
— Mahsa Payesteh (@mo0nbeam) June 29, 2017
My grandmother is the purest soul I know. Does she look like a terrorist to you, @realDonaldTrump? #GrandparentsNotTerrorists #NoMuslimBan pic.twitter.com/sgS1rVXDT7
— Sarah Khatami (@SarahKhatami) June 29, 2017
No to the #MuslimBan pic.twitter.com/Kkj1hTss3B
— Holly Dagres (@hdagres) June 30, 2017
Naureen Shah of Amnesty International USA said the new order and its narrow definition of families was “simply heartless”, and “further proves the callous and discriminatory nature of Trump’s Muslim ban”.
However, there is still a chance the definition could be extended to include grandparents.
According to a Reuters report, the state of Hawaii has asked a federal judge in Honolulu to clarify the Supreme Court ruling, arguing that the government intended to violate its instructions by excluding people who actually have a close family relationship to US residents.
Image: @hdagres/Twitter
