American, Muslim, and under constant watch: the emotional toll of surveillance

March 27, 2016
The Guardian

Ahsan Samad sits on the sofa in the living room of his small family home in Brooklyn, New York. The 30-year-old plumber leans forward and carefully pours the coffee his mother has just brought in from the kitchen. His young niece and nephew are playing in a nearby room.

“I know I have done nothing wrong. I am constantly thinking about it. Their visits made me terrified.”

Samad looks up, bewildered and confused. He is trying to lay out the complexity of the mental hell the past four and a half years have been for him. ...

Read the full piece here.

Last modified 

March 28, 2016