Since the events of 9/11, the tension between Americans and Muslims has only worsened throughout the years. Through the power of the media influencing the misunderstanding of Islam and fueling the hatred towards them in the country, it became a fire difficult to contain. Rather than some Americans choosing to fully understand what Islam is and how Muslims practice it, they choose to remain clueless in the matter and follow what the media states or pick out certain quotes from The Qur’an and explaining it in an incorrect context. Ironically, this hatred is hidden safely behind the term “Islamophobia,” which means someone who fears the religion of Islam or Muslims (the people who practice the faith). Most arguments against Islam are how it oppresses women, but what …show more content…
they chose to ignore is how many rights they have and that Muslim women chose to wear the Hijab or the Niqab. People confuse Arab culture as the way Islam is supposed to be followed, but it’s not, rather Arab culture does the opposite in some cases. Two articles properly emphasize on the issue by showing what’s going on today towards Muslims, “Ban on Face Veils at Indonesian university Lasted Just a Week” by Joe Cochrane and “Hijab Removal by New York Police Prompts Lawsuit” by Al Baker. In the article “Ban on Face Veils at Indonesian University Lasted Just a Week,” Cochrane focuses on describing the chains of event that built up the tension between Muslims and the Indonesian government. Due to Saudi-influenced practices, the government developed a concern towards Muslims believing that it’s an act of extremism, which led to the ban of an Islamic group. In spite of this situation, the author needed to emphasize the issue beforehand to explain how this tension caused the Indonesian University to ban face veils without hesitation. As seen through the situation at the Indonesian University, it shows that with Saudi culture being mixed with Islam, it created a wide misconception of how Muslims should dress or act accordingly. Nevertheless, Cochrane highlighted the comments of an analyst on Islam Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, to distinguish the confusion between culture and religion. Even though there’s no national law stating that face veils are banned within the country, the national government intervened in some cases for the reason that they don’t want this “phenomenon” to spread throughout the entire country. The article reveals one of the various misconceptions of Muslims, people relating culture with religion. For instance, Cochrane observed that last year the Indonesian government banned an Islamic group for spreading a Saudi-influenced brand of extremism and recently a week ago, they enforced the niqab ban with no previous information given which resulted in a string of protests that made the niqab ban to be rescinded (Par 3). Although Cochrane didn't provide any input on the matter, it supplements my topic because behind these bans is an enforcement from the Indonesian government to prohibit Muslims from practicing the “extreme strains of Islam.” I agree that the Indonesian government allows any restrictions on Muslims to be passed through without a lot of trouble due to their own concern towards them. Ironically, it seems like people within the Indonesian government doesn’t know much about Islam considering they pinpoint the niqab and other form of “extremist practices” to be part of Islam. About this matter, Islam doesn’t enforce the niqab or any form of face veils, in fact it ties in with Arab culture or parental influence which is opposite from what Islam imposes. In the Qur’an, the niqab isn’t mentioned except for the veil which covers the hair and neck, but that is in the choice of the person who wants to follow a modest dress clothes. Not only do women have a dress code, but so do men. Additionally, they both have a dress code to follow if they want to remain modest but there’s no form of corporal punishment involved unlike in Saudi Arabia. The rule of thumb is to never connect religion and culture together considering both can be opposites. Additionally, Cochrane describes Sharia Law to have the most effect on women and how it enforces to target any other religious group or people with different sexual orientation (Par 7-8). One matter I heavily disagree with Cochrane is the description of Sharia Law especially since he didn’t state that it was incorrect. If Sharia, which means path in Arabic, is to be looked at thoroughly as Islam puts it to be, it provides multiple guideline such as praying properly, respecting others regardless of religion or choice in anything, and enforces mercy above all. It doesn’t enforce corporal punishment such as in Saudi Arabia when it involved gay, lesbian and transgender people, rather to respect them just as they would to others regardless of their actions. Most Sharia Law assumptions correlate to the Arab Culture and their ways of handling certain controversies, due to this misconception, many people believe that Sharia Law is going to be the end of the world. The only time it mentions punishment are to thief, murderers, rapists and abusers, but even then, it enforces mercy upon them. The so-call “religion of violence” teaches you to forgive others no matter how much they harm you by virtue of anger corrupting you and straying you away from what’s right. It’s crucial to see how this is far from barbaric when the first reaction as humans, we want to do pay back revenge or hope for the worse on the criminal without a second thought. Overall, the article shows a misconception of Islam when culture is mixed in and when people refuses to conduct their own research and believe with what they hear or see. Concerning this issue, it’s easy to note that most Muslim women are targeted easily due to their hijab as revealed in Baker’s article “Hijab Removal by New York Police Prompts Lawsuit.” Baker exposes what goes behind the scene for Hijabis (a woman who hears the hijab) daily, in specific, he focuses on a recent event that occurred between Hijabis and the NYPD.
Both Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz suffered through an event of being coerced to remove their hijab, and being photographed within sight of other police officers and prisoners. After speaking out their situation, they received help to bring justice to the police officers that allowed it to happen, especially after realizing that by law, they have protected rights to be photographed privately and by the same sex. In a diverse city, it’s expected highly from New York City to understand and live with one another despite of difference in religion, color, race or gender. Lawyers from the firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady are supporting the Hijabis who felt violated by the police officers and restore what New York City is supposed to represent. The article reveals the mistreatment of Muslim women and their silenced voice that’s finally being broken
free. Indeed, the hijab allows others to immediately assume what religion they’re from compared to other Muslim men, which seems unnoticeable unless they’re wearing a prayer cap. In the article, Baker acknowledges that the prisoners near the photo location showed more respect by turning away when they notice the Hijabi burst into tears as they are humiliated and the policemen just watched them like they’ve never seen hair before (Par 3). I agree that this shows a wider problem in our society in treating Muslims when prisoners have more manners and respect compared to someone who is titled to protect and serve the people. Baker agrees with the damaged caused by the police officers when he writes, “the images of the women’s uncovered heads can live on in New York Police Department databases” (Par 8). Baker is surely right about the NYPD databases because even if the case is won by the lawyers representing the Hijabis, the photos will never be erased and will remain stored in the NYPD databases. By law, they can request to have their photo taken by someone of the same gender or at a more private facility, but most of the time they don’t, thanks to policemen threatening them with more jail time or several consequences that they didn’t want to risk (Baker Par 12). Baker emphasis on the issue is extremely useful because no matter how much compensation they receive, the photo that was taken at that moment is already stored in the database for numerous people with access to view. Federally, passport photos don’t require you to remove any religious garment so if something just as important or more in this case doesn’t require it, why are they forced to being with? Overall, it just might be the fact that they’re Muslim. As well, the policemen’s action goes against the first amendment, which can spark a large controversy in this case. In Baker’s view, post 9/11 event made Muslim’s life harder everywhere in view of being immediately seen as a threat or related to some terrorist organization which should emphasize increase awareness and sensitivity towards Muslims (Par 29). Baker’s view of Muslim’s mistreatment is what can I can agree upon because of my own experience. Once on a bus ride home, a Caucasian man insulted and threaten a Muslim woman when he noticed her Hijab, ranging from hoping for their death to wanting Muslims out of this country. Various people, including me, had to stand up for her because of how aggressive he was acting, but this goes to show how badly Muslims can be treated without us knowing or right in front of us. The article redefines freedom for me in the United States when Muslim women go through various types of situation without us knowing such as acid attacks, removal of hijab, verbal abuse, etc.
The November 17, 1994 Dallas Observer published an article titled “Tell Momma Why You Cry” describing the incidents surround the removal of the Krasniqi children from their home. In this article Sam Krasniqi, the father, was accused of sexually assaulting his ten year old daughter Lima. Once the children were removed from their childhood home they were placed into the Buckner Baptist Children’s Home in East Dallas (Zimmerman, 1998). Kathy Krasniqi, Tim and Liam’s mother, pleaded multiple times with the case worker to be sensitive with their Muslim identity (Zimmerman, 1998). Her requests were denied because the case worker believed “… these people always stay together” (Zimmerman, 1998). This statement reflected the case workers negative viewpoints regarding the Muslim heritage. The first section will discuss the lack of resources used during the Krasniqi case. The second section will breakdown the cultural differences between Muslim heritage and United States culture. The last section will touch on what I personally
3). The law claims to be fair, impartial and concerned with neutrality and equality. (Hulbert, 2010). It is concerned with justice, but in reality seems to be discriminatory. Justice is a lot more than solving a situation that seems problematic but is also constituted by considerations of substantive justice. (Hulbert, 2010). The law, in theory, is objective and without bias but in practice can be opaque and discriminatory. Abdirahman Abdi 37-year old man is one of many to experience the cruel reality of the law and its practices. On Sunday, July 24th at 9:30 am the police received multiple calls about a disturbance at a coffee shop in Ottawa. The police arrived, pursued Abdirahman Abdi and arrested him 250 meters from his apartment building. Witnesses say that Abdirahman was beaten with a baton and pepper sprayed. A very graphic video showed Abdirahman on the ground handcuffed with blood surrounding him while the officer held him to the ground with a knee. One of the eyewitnesses Zainab Abdallah tried to intervene, she pleaded with the officers telling them that Abdi has a mental illness, but that did not deter them. Abdirahman was dead 45 minutes before receiving medical attention. What has been questioned by black lives matter
Jim Crow policing is not a problem, the way certain cops are using it is becoming a problem in certain cities. A Witness of Jim Crow Policing and Racial Profiling, Bob Herbert, believes that the New York police department needs to be restrained due to his personal experiences. The author uses many examples to strengthen his argument in order to influence others to be against Jim Crow policing, yet throughout his article he lets his emotion show too much losing his credibility and straying from logic versus his opinion.
On September 11, 2001, since the terrorist attacks, many American Muslims have been stereotyped negatively in the United States. Salma, a Muslim woman, says that the way Muslims have been recognized in the media has played a big role in the antagonism directed at her. “I don’t know how many times I heard my classmates accuse me of being al-Qaeda or a terrorist” (Mayton 2013). Salma, along with other Muslims, even after a decade, are still struggling with trying to find their “American” and “Islamic” identities, while facing verbal attacks for their ethnicity. Too often, the general Muslim population gets lumped in with the immoral acts of a few because of the lack of knowledge about their culture.
In the early 1990’s in Los Angeles, California, police brutally was considered a norm in African Americans neighborhoods. News coverage ignores the facts of how African ...
Many people claim that racism no longer exists; however, the minorities’ struggle with injustice is ubiquitous. Since there is a mass incarceration of African Americans, it is believed that African Americans are the cause of the severe increase of crimes. This belief has been sent out implicitly by the ruling class through the media. The media send out coded messages that are framed in abstract neutral language that play on white resentment that targets minorities. Disproportionate arrest is the result of racial disparities in the criminal justice system rather than disproportion in offenders. The disparities in the sentencing procedure are ascribed to racial discrimination. Because police officers are also biased, people of color are more likely to be investigated than whites. Police officers practice racial profiling to arrest African Americans under situations when they would not arrest white suspects, and they are more likely to stop African Americans and see them as suspicious (Alexander 150-176). In the “Anything Can Happen With Police Around”: Urban Youth Evaluate Strategies of Surveillance in Public Places,” Michelle Fine and her comrades were inspired to conduct a survey over one of the major social issues - how authority figures use a person’s racial identity as a key factor in determining how to enforce laws and how the surveillance is problematic in public space. Fine believes it is critical to draw attention to the reality in why African Americans are being arrested at a much higher rate. This article reflects the ongoing racial issue by focusing on the injustice in treatment by police officers and the youth of color who are victims. This article is successful in being persuasive about the ongoing racial iss...
Islam in America has historically been misunderstood, and this is due to the misconception of culture and religion as well as lack of education and incorrect portrayal in the media, which gives a skewed idea of Islam. Especially in the United States, Islam has been seen as the “terrorist religion” or a religion for the extremists and a religion in which freedom is not an option. Among the countless misconceptions, the basis of stereotypes by Americans is due to the mix up between religion and culture. Furthermore, the media only fuels fire to these misunderstandings and lack of factual information about Islam causing Americans to lash out on American Muslims without reason.
Islam is the religion that provides a complete code of life including social as well as personal spheres. Islam has been targeted by many stereotypes including extremism since last few decades. The reason behind these stereotypes are on some facts and to some extent widely propagated through media. Many people involved in criminal activities, get highlighted easily by media and catch the attention of general public if they are Muslims. A major role behind these stereotypes is played by the outcomes of the 9/11 attacks. Muslims have been targeted with stigmatization and other forms of racial discrimination. They have to face tight security at international airports. Employers have also been showing concerns or hesitation while hiring Muslims especially the immigrants. Many reasons beside 9/11 attacks behind Muslim stigmatization in United States have been in existence since many decades.
There is little need to reiterate the long history of U.S. governments going wherever they have wanted and doing whatever they have wanted. The question is how Muslims navigate through the political and economic architectures that ensue. Certainly, Islam has long valued extending itself throughout the world. Travel is primarily a modality for accumulating knowledge, acting on the desire to know, and then, only secondarily, is that knowledge used as a means of imbricating the "presentation" of Islam within heterogeneous settings. The historical challenge for Islamic missions, armies, scholars, traders, and sojourners was how to maintain the coherence of the faith in foreign spaces simultaneously considered within and outside of the Islamic world.
Jazmin Lara Ms.Matlen ERWC, Period 1 15 September 2016 Racial Profiling In the United States of America today, racial profiling has violated everything the United States of America stands for and represents. Authorities do not have the right to be allowed to stop, arrest, disrespect or harass any individual in America based on their appearance. The general statement made by Timothy Garton Ash in his work, Behind the ban, is that burkas in a free society is a form of expression and it needs be allowed.
In the essay, the writer acknowledges the misunderstandings that come from media images by explaining the contrasts between these images and the teachings of the faith to support her claim that fear is the reason for this misconception. The conception that many people have of Muslims is that they are terrorists, anti-Semites, and fanatics. This conception exsists because television news and newspapers support that stereotype. The broadcast of such stereotypes encourages fear and accusations of the Islamic relegion's teachings. The writer explains that Islam teaches peace, tolerance, and equality. She further states that Muslims shown in the media have violated these teachings ...
Post September 11, 2001 the life of a Muslim women living in America changed forever. Islamophobia is the prejudice against Islam or Muslims. Islamophobia is not a new concept, it has roots hundreds of years ago, however after 9/11 it became much more prevalent in America. Following 9/11 Western media used Islam and Muslim women who covered to inflict fear in American citizens. Western media framed Islam as a dangerous and hateful religion that needed to be stopped. At the same time the media became obsessed with Muslim women who veiled and wanted to save these women from their oppression. However, these articles written about the oppressed Muslim women did not feature Muslim women and their experiences veiling. They were not given a voice
Islamophobia has become a new topic of interest among social sciences, political leaders and media commentators. People amongst society have developed this phobia towards Islamic religion and people. It has become a novel “form of racism in Europe and American based on discrimination ...
Human rights activist Mohsin Mohi-Ud Din clarifies the misunderstandings American citizens have about the religion of Islam in his article “Dear America: Letter From a Muslim-American” published in the Huffington Post on December 10, 2009. As a member of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Mohi-Ud Din explores the cultures of different societies and generates a mutual understanding between these societies. He employs this skill in the article as he addresses the Americans’ inaccurate view about Muslims. Mohi-Ud Din presents a compelling argument as to why the myths about Muslims need to be eradicated by approaching the topic cautiously, establishing a strong common ground, and providing some convincing evidence. However, his lack
The contributing factors that led to the growth of Islamophobia in America post 9/11 are a mass hysteria caused by media, influential voices speaking against Islam and an increase of biased stereotypes. Some of the news’s greatest ways of contributing to the rise in Islamophobia is by giving unrealistic over-exaggerations and non-legitimate statistics in order to display an overall false narrative of the actual matter at hand. For instance, Tom Shillue (stand-up comedian) stating on Fox’s The Five that if there is a moderate Muslim voice “out there” now is the time to speak up and Sean Hannity calling for a “Jihad rising worldwide”.