Islamophobia

Although Muslims are not a race, Muslims deal with stereotyping much like racism. Just like people associate Asians with being smart, or African Americans as being good at sports, it is common for Muslims to be thought of as villains. Western countries tend to be prejudice toward Muslims because of the negative connotations they have acquired because of terrorist attacks. Only a small percentage of Muslims have caused harm or intended to cause harm, but Westerners still associate events like 9/11 with all Muslims.

This fear of Muslims is referred to as Islamophobia. This phobia does not only include a fear of Muslims, but sometimes even prejudice and hostility. Many Muslims do not feel accepted by Westerners. In fact, 52% of Americans agree that the West does not respect Muslims. A report by the Center for American Progress found that misinformation accounts for a lot of Islamophobia in America. The promotion of this phobia creates prejudice against Muslims. When one hears a horror story that involves a Muslim, they associate that fear with all Muslims. 

It is not right to treat others less just because another completely unrelated Muslim threatened America at some point in time. Besides, there are plenty of dangerous Americans who create more harm than Muslims do. Even though there are many criminals in America, we do not assume that all Americans are bad. This mentality should be applied with Muslims (and any race or group) as well. 

My mom hired a Muslim student worker a couple of years ago. She was one of my mom’s favorite student workers. She was very nice, responsible, and an all-around good person. I remember my mom telling me about how her student worker had to deal with stereotypes and prejudice. Even though she had done nothing wrong, people treated her differently because of her beliefs. The stereotypes caused her to be scared in many situations because so many people despise Muslims.

 I tried to imagine what it would be like to be that student. I cannot imagine how offensive it must be that there is a phobia that references the fear of those who belong to her religion. To walk around campus and receive dirty looks all the time, to know that when people hear “Muslim” they hear “9/11” or other terrorist attacks, and to be labeled as someone who does not deserve a fair chance would be so difficult.

The Muslims who are violent are not violent because they are Muslim. Nor are they an accurate representation of the entire Islamic religion. Therefore, try not to let the small percentage of violent Muslims make you believe a false stereotype.

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