National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab and South Asian Immigrants Date in the current year: February 20, 2024

The National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab and South Asian Immigrants was created in the wake of the September 11 attacks, which resulted in anti-Muslim bias and discriminatory backlash against Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South-Asian Americans, both immigrants and U.S. citizens, as well as those perceived to belong to one of these groups. Since the attacks, they have been victims of hate crimes including threats, vandalism, and murder.

In September 2002, the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System came into effect. It included the domestic component, where non-citizens from certain countries residing in the United States were fingerprinted, photographed, and interviewed. The system was criticized by immigrant rights advocates for racial profiling because all countries on its list were Asian and African, and all but one were predominantly Muslim.

In 2003, the newly formed Department of Homeland Security started a crackdown on Arab and Muslim immigrants. Thousands of people were rounded up based on their racial profile and detained over minor violations; many of them, mostly men and boys, were deported, which resulted in their families being torn apart. Some immigrant rights advocates compared this to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

The National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab and South Asian Immigrants was first observed on February 20, 2002. Its endorsers encouraged people to wear blue triangles with the names of the newly “disappeared” immigrants; these triangles were meant as a reference to the triangle-based badge system used in Nazi concentration camps in which blue triangles denoted immigrants and foreign forced laborers.

The National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab and South Asian Immigrants is not an official observance, but it was originally endorsed by multiple organizations and individuals, ranging from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee to South Asians Against Police Brutality and Racism. They formed the Blue Triangle Network to help people organize rallies, vigils, and other awareness events.

The Blue Triangle Network seems to have gone defunct since then, and there are very few mentions of the National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab and South Asian Immigrants being observed recently. Of course, many discriminatory policies have been discontinued, but certain groups of immigrants still face unfair treatment and discrimination, so it is important to continue what was once started and keep raising awareness.

You can observe the day by joining a campaign advocating for equal treatment of all immigrants and justice for everyone, organizing an event in your community, helping immigrant families in need, spreading awareness on social media, or showing your support to affected minority groups in any way you can.