Reading Journal #1

In her essay “Was Voldemort a Nazi?” Nancy Reagin drew parallels between the ideology of Voldemort and his followers and that of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. She argued that the “‘racial state’” that Hitler tried to establish in Germany is comparable to the vision that the Dark Lord saw for the wizarding world (129). The slaughter of innocents, the reinstatement of hierarchy, and the broken communities found in both situations revealed the similarities between the two dictators. Bringing Voldemort’s mission to a contemporary setting, one politician has risen to power on a platform of hate and hierarchy. President Trump has made his objective clear: “make America great again.” His means of doing so includes demonizing minorities, particularly Muslims. The Dark Lord of 2017 is U.S. President Donald Trump.

Reagin’s essay draws attention to the decrees issued by the Ministry of Magic in Deathly Hallows, placing steep restrictions on Muggle-born witches and wizards. The legal limitations began on a small scale: requiring Muggle-borns to register with the Ministry and to interview with the Muggle-born Registration Committee (133). In the beginning of Hitler’s reign, Jews and other “undesirables” were forced under a number of discriminatory rules. Donald Trump, although he ran on creating a national database of Muslims in America, so far has not held that promise. Instead, he recently signed an executive order banning immigration from multiple Muslim states. In doing so, he has created a trap for Muslim Americans. Those who leave the United States, even temporarily, are not allowed back home under any circumstances. With the threat of familial separation hanging overhead, Muslim Americans are now sitting ducks in the tense political climate of the U.S.

The Muggle-born witches and wizards who could not flee in time were dehumanized by Voldemort’s party and other purebloods who held his ideals. They ended up wandless in the streets of Diagon Alley, begging passing wizards for sympathy. Reagin points out that their lack of wands (and therefore lack of ties to the wizarding world) have marked them “completely dishonored in the eyes of Voldemort’s supporters” (143). Hermione, in the role of Bellatrix LeStrange, dehumanizes a Muggle-born woman by referring to her as “it.” By taking away her pronouns, Hermione widened the gap considerably, further distancing “proper wizards” from “Mudbloods.”

The extreme othering between pureblood wizards and Muggle-borns creates an environment of “us vs. them” that is comparable to the attitude many conservative Americans hold toward Muslims. Islamophobia is so prevalent in the U.S. that it affects non-Muslims as well. Sikhs, Hindus, and other Middle Easterners fall into the category of “terrorist” for many Americans. Ironically, it is one of the only times that difference in religion/ethnicity does not matter to conservative Americans. Voldemort blamed his poor quality of life on his Muggle father, fueling his hate for non-wizards. Despite their lack of involvement, he targeted all Muggle-borns and wizards who supported them. Donald Trump and other Americans hold a vendetta against Muslims and blame them for terrorism in the U.S., regardless of the fact that the vast majority of Muslims do not support the terrorist organizations. They have become scapegoats for frustrated Americans.

If Donald Trump keeps his promises, soon enough Muslims may receive the same treatment that Muggle-borns faced under Voldemort’s government. Instead of wandless wizards begging on the streets, we may see women in hijabs sitting on city corners, stripped of their humanity.

Works Cited

Reagin, Nancy Ruth. “Was Voldemort a Nazi? Death Eater Ideology and National Socialism.” Harry Potter and History. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. 127-52. Print.