PhD student to discuss law and immigration at celebratory event
When Donald Trump launched his travel ban, Sabah Athar felt inspired to act. Applying for a PhD to research immigration in the United States, she鈥檚 now thriving as a postgraduate researcher and prepping a talk for an event celebrating women in law.
American law and policy
Sabah Athar聽has always been interested in American law and policy, but pursuing it for full-time study didn鈥檛 initially cross her mind. 鈥淚t took a lot of consideration,鈥� she says today. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 sure whether I could do it, as my undergraduate and Master鈥檚 degrees had been in unrelated subjects. I didn鈥檛 have the research skills in the area of law.鈥�
A meeting with her future supervisors soon cleared up any apprehension. 鈥淚 wrote to Anne Richardson Oakes about my research idea, and fortunately it鈥檚 an area that Anne is also interested in,鈥� Sabah explains. 鈥淚 then met Sarah Cooper and Ilaria Di Gioia. All three have been incredibly helpful and have eased me into my research area gradually.鈥�
A changing political climate
Sabah鈥檚 initial idea came to fruition after President Trump announced Executive Order 13769, otherwise known as the travel ban. This order, which was replaced by Executive Order 13780 in 2017, limited travel to the United States by refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Since then, Sabah鈥檚 research focus has shifted towards , jurisdictions that have policies in place designed to limit cooperation with or involvement in federal immigration enforcement actions. 鈥淢y research area is relevant in the current political climate,鈥� she explains.聽聽
鈥淢y research explores the gradually increasing phenomenon of 鈥榮anctuary mosques,鈥� looking at the gap between the religious and secular uses of sanctuary. 聽Specifically, how although mosques are a religious institution, they are using the concept of sanctuary not to fulfil a religious obligation but as a political tool to resist the implementation of federal immigration laws.鈥�
Women in law 鈥� a celebration
Sabah gets the chance to discuss her journey in greater detail on Monday 9 March, forming part of a panel of expert speakers at the . Part of xChange Festival 2020, the event will see academics, students and external speakers discuss their legal journeys to date. The event is part of a week of celebrations for International Women鈥檚 Day.
鈥淎ny event that focuses on women鈥檚 successes, particularly in areas where they have previously been marginalised, is crucial,鈥� Sabah explains. 鈥淭hey help women today to understand the successes and struggles of their ancestors.鈥�
A close-knit community
Sabah is enjoying her PhD studies so far, from the academic support to the city centre location. The most pleasing aspect, however, is the community feel. 鈥淭he culture at BCU is so close-knit,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚鈥檓 always bumping into people and then making connections with them. The research community has been incredibly supportive throughout my research journey.鈥�