Dalia Mogahed Speech

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The word Islam derived from the word peace, depicting the Muslim religion. The Muslim faith is built upon acceptance, harmony, and contribution. Yet somehow, with time, the word Islam triggers negative vibes such as terrorism, violence and extremism. Dalia Mogahed speaks of the unforeseen change in the meaning of Islam and those who practice this formerly influential religion. Mogahed is an Egyptian-American that started her career as an engineer. She’s a Muslim that decided to wear her head covering by the age of seventeen. In the Ted Talk “What Do You Think When You Look At Me?”, Dalia Mogahed discusses the predicaments and accusations Muslims have encountered, including her personal experiences. Through the use of all three rhetorical appeals, …show more content…

She talks about how innocent Muslims were attacked after 9/11 where they were “being pulled out [of their houses], beaten in the streets [and mosques were being firebombed]” (3). According to Mogahed, people were treating Muslims as if they were a tumor in the body of America. “The only question is, are [they] malignant or benign” (3)? “A malignant tumor you extract altogether, and a benign tumor you just keep under surveillance”, just like the Muslims were treated (Mogahed, 3). Building up the argument, she illustrates her experience of driving across Middle America after the attack, crouching as low as she could in her seat, and for the first time ever, she was afraid to identify herself as a Muslim (Mogahed, 3). To finish it up, Mogahed tells a story of an unfortunate young married couple living in North Carolina, where their neighbor Craig Hicks murders them “in their apartment, execution style after posting anti-Muslim statements on his Facebook page” (5). Little did we know that such “[bigotry actions aren’t just immoral, they] can even be lethal”(5). On the other hand, not all Americans are against Muslims, some are actually rational and well informed. Mogahed illustrates this example, as she tells a story of Muslims congregating to the mosque, on a Friday, for prayer. On that Friday after the 9/11 incident, the mosque was filled with “Christians, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, people of faith and no faith, who had come not to attack [Muslims], but to stand in solidarity with [them]” (5). “These people were there because they chose courage and compassion over panic and prejudice”. With a sense of activism, Mogahed asks “what [would you choose at a time] of fear and bigotry” (6)? With that said, Mogahed enables a fourth rhetorical appeal known as kairos, encouraging people to take action and seize the opportunity to bring social

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