Premium Essay

Muslim Discrimination in the Us

In:

Submitted By MetroBoomin22
Words 2418
Pages 10
On the 24th of March, the police department of El Cajon, CA, found Shaima Alawadi, a 32 year old Iraqi woman lying in a pool of blood with a note next to her corpse saying “go back to your own country, you terrorist” (ABC News,2012). Unfortunately, those acts that are simply labeled as “hate crimes” are more casual than what you see or hear through the mainstream media, and the reasons behind those can be peculiarly blamed to an extent on the religious diversity in the United States. Religion is one of the strongest acts that affect people, it can develop bonds as well as conflicts, and because different religions are practiced throughout the world such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism and many more its not surprising that their followers will have disagreements. And even though it might seem like those feelings are diminishing people still feel a sense of insecurity when it comes to this issue even if they tend to hide it or refuse to admit it. Religious segregation is pretty much still alive in many parts of the world, even in countries that claim the right of freedom of religion. It has led many people to be treated unfairly and wrongfully judged just because they are the minority who practice a religion which is different from the public orthodoxy. In modern day, Arabs and Muslims in exact suffer from being labeled as extremists or terrorists especially in Western cultures. five out of ten Americans believe Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, despite the fact that seven out ten admit they know very little about Islam. And yet Americans rank Muslims second only to atheists as group that does not share their vision of American society (Ghazal, 2008). Intolerance and discrimination against Muslims, or if you like Islamophobia, is not a new phenomenon. There are historical, cultural/religious and psychological reasons behind it..

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Analytical Factsheet on Preudice & Discrimination on Religion(Muslims)

...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY There is currently widespread discrimination against Muslims around the world due to numerous terrorist activities that occurred over the past decade. However, it is important for us to understand that although many of these activities were carried out by Muslims, we cannot stereotype all Muslims to be terrorists. Unjust discrimination against them may trigger more problems. Thus, a good approach to fix this problem would be educating the public not to stereotype as some Muslims may be the victims themselves. THE ISSUES AND WHO ARE INVOLVED The world has been plagued by terrorism, especially so over the past decade and this has led to widespread discrimination against Muslims. This is due to the fact that many of the terrorist acts were carried out by terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah whose members are mainly of Muslim religion. However, there are much overlooked facts such as majority of the Muslims are actually not involved in those terrorist acts and some of the Muslims may even be victims of those terrorist acts themselves. One example of discrimination against Muslims would be the Oklahoma City bombing incident executed by Timothy McVeigh, an American, whereby Muslims were suspected for the bombing even before investigations started. Another would be the very recent French study led by David Laitin of Stanford University in California which shows that Muslims in European countries are more likely to be unemployed compared to people...

Words: 1055 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Perception of Muslims Towards Media Landscape

...and how it reports. The Problem which this study wishes to study is how is the handling of the Media Landscape in the fields of Terrorism Crime and the Violence in Mindanao and how did it affect Muslim Communities attitudes and Behavior towards the institution of Media. The hypotheses is the there is a significant effect on the behavior of the community and their views on the institution of Media. To gather data and to analyze this problem the researchers used a descriptive status analysis which seeks to answer questions to real facts relating to existing conditions in group of cases that is chosen for study. The sample is determined using a simple random sampling which aimed at a minimum target of 300 respondents which is the 10% of the population of the area which is 3,000. The respondents where chosen out of the 19 Muslim Communities found in Metro Manila, the number of ethnic groups in the area is more diverse than most other Muslim Communities in the Metro Manila area. The subjects aged 15- 40 years regardless of educational background and social status. The study did not put too much stress on the quality of the respondents because it is important that a more honest response and to measure their knowledge of issues, this is done to observe their experiences outside of the Muslim Community. The researchers opted to use a survey method to gather the data needed for this research. The study employed a Likert Scale which uses a 5 point choice scale and an idea. The survey form...

Words: 25535 - Pages: 103

Free Essay

Does Your Country Have a “Race Issue”?

...have a “race issue”? The concept of race is an indicative of ignorant in based of to fear of someone that is different. Racism has been existed throughout of centuries all around the world. At first racism has been seen in America than it spread to Europe, Middle East and Turkey. Racism divides people into the “them” and “us” based on what our skin of color, religion of what we believe and a place where we came from. However, in Turkey racism is generally based on political, national and religious issues. In the history of Turkey racism has started in the Ottoman Empire in 1860 based on Ali Suavi who was a Turkish intellectual in Ottoman. There are tens of different nations live in Turkey like Armenians, Bosnians, Syrians, Kurds, Albanians and so many others. Sometimes some of these nations live in peace and harmony but unfortunately they may fight with each other for some reasons. Firstly, racism has started in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and even today it is still continuing. Throughout the history of Turkey, racism and ethnic discrimination was widespread in Turkish communities, that racism and ethnic discrimination against minorities who are not Muslim and non-Sunni. In 1915 during the World War I, Relocation laws enacted by military forces to take precaution against those who opposing the government implementations at war which were applied to the Ottoman Armenians. After Tehcir law deportations and massacres was continues till accepting of "Temporary Law of Expropriation...

Words: 1366 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Wk3 Discrimination Worksheet

...Write a 100- to 200-word response to each of the following questions. Provide citations for all the sources you use. • What is discrimination? How is discrimination different from prejudice and stereotyping? Discrimination is a result of prejudice. Prejudice can be broken down to say people pre-judge, becoming a prejudice that turns into discrimination. When people pre-judge without having all of the facts, or knowing the ways of a certain people, they start a horrible ball rolling which turns into a discrimination. Discrimination is an action or a mentality which is, usually, negative. It is attitude and action toward people, or a group of people and is most of the time based on the hatred for race, sex or even sexual preference. According to Ch. 3, “Discrimination is the denial of opportunity and equal right to people and groups of people because of prejudice or for other arbitrary reasons.” (Schaefer, 2012) • What are the causes of discrimination? As I stated above, discrimination comes from prejudices. When people live pre-judging people, that judgment almost always turns into discrimination. Both of these things are fear based behaviors. The expression "ignorance is bliss" is not necessarily true. Fear and ignorance turn into prejudices, which cause discrimination. In all actuality, it boils down to human comfort. Most people are more comfortable around people like themselves. When you add a person or group of people that is foreign, some become so uncomfortable...

Words: 513 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

...aside and prayed for those in need. It’s also a day that made us scared to step on the same ground or be near someone of that seemed to appear Afghan or Muslim. For my article I decided to combine two articles that talked about the aftermath of September 11th and the job market for Afghan and Muslim decent. My first article I am reviewing “estimates the impact that the 9/11 terrorists attacks had on the U.S. labor market outcomes of individuals...

Words: 1584 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Social Influences on Human Behavior

...big impact on some Americans’ attitudes toward Muslims living in the United States. The terrorists involved in the attack were all Muslim Arabs. The United States has an estimated 6 million Muslims. ("America's muslims," 2006) When the attacks happened, U.S. Muslims were shocked just like all other Americans. After the attacks, many of the U.S. Muslims had to deal with the hateful attitudes toward them coming from other Americans. Many Americans’ bad attitudes toward Muslims intensified into rage and anger after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Any Muslim Arab fit the description of a terrorist in the eyes of many Americans. This led to biases and stereotypes of U.S. Muslims being associated with terrorist activity. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, American Muslims have experienced increased job discrimination since 2001. They have also found that Americans with Muslim names have a harder time finding a job. (Epstein, 2011) Anti-terrorism measures such as surveillance of Muslim organizations have left the Muslim community uneasy and victims of discrimination. Many U.S. Muslims tried to prove their loyalty to the United States by condemning terrorism through issued statements and religious pronouncements. But while some U.S. Muslims felt discriminated against; others felt their fellow Americans have also been supportive. America’s interest in understanding Islamic culture has grown since 2001. ("America's muslims," 2006) The importance to ensure all...

Words: 383 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Religious and Ethnic Groups

...S. a melting pot of people from various backgrounds. One would think given our country’s rich variety of people that our culture would be rather tolerant and appreciative of different schools of thought and races. While there are many individuals out there that have this attitude, there are also many that do not. Granted, our country is still much more accepting when compared to many others. However, discrimination against and persecution of those that don’t fit in or follow the rest of general society is quite a problem. When I think about this problem in our country, there are two groups of people that immediately come to my mind: Muslims and African Americans. Though these two groups are in completely different categories, they face many of the same problems in terms of discrimination in America. Within the scope of this essay, we will learn about some differences between Muslims, African Americans, and various other groups. We will also take a look at their overall experiences, as well as some specific examples of discrimination. Islam and Its Followers in America A Muslim is someone who follows the teachings of Islam, a religion believed to have originated in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century (Pecorino, 2001). What is interesting about Islam is that its roots are in the Middle East and it has stayed very influential there (Pecorino, 2001). Christianity, the predominant religion in America, also has its roots in the Middle East. However, Christianity isn’t nearly as present...

Words: 1416 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Diversity in Organizational Behavior

...least 3% of government offices over a certain size (67 employees), including public schools and state-owned enterprises. In The U.S., the Americans With Disabilities Act ADA, was introduced in 1990. The ADA immediately led to a surge in the amount of people classified as disabled joining the workforce. The ADA states that employers must mate 'reasonable accommodations' to their working environments for people with disabilities. It can be hard to measure the the relationship between disability and employment because the definiton of disabled is so broad. Just think of certain neurological disorders that are impossible to notice at a glance, like depression, addiction, or other personality disorders. The Equal Employment Commission in the US uses 'physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities' as a definition to describe people with disabilities. Examples of physical disabilities include, but are by no means limited to, paraplegia and quadraplegia. Mental disabilities include schizophrenia and depression. Disabilitiy is a very broad term and the ADA (along with the Taiwanese and Irish equivalents) ensure that...

Words: 2656 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Black Like Me

...service from the white America that the relationship with the Negro was one of harmony. Mr. Griffin felt this not to be a statement of truth and with this questioning decided that he would find first hand by transforming himself with dye, ultraviolet light, and medication to take on the characteristics of a Negro man. He immersed himself into the Negro culture and experienced racism at its finest in New Orleans, Louisiana. His book was a diary form account of his life as a Negro from October to August in 1959 and 1960. Mr. Griffin became interested in class effects and racism as he studied in France and experienced the treatment of Jews. He had long studied and written of the Negro experience, however could not truly experience the discrimination until he carried out his experience. He secured finances from a friend who published a magazine for blacks. The agreement was made with the magazine publisher to have rights to publish Mr. Griffin’s research in a story for his magazine. During his transformation with medication to obtain his blackness, there were concerns for his wellbeing and health. He was apprised of the danger in his treatment and also of the outcome that he would encounter as a black man. His family supported him in his experiment, however feared his dangerous circumstance that he was near entering. The transformation was completed and he started his research on November 7, 1959. He, as a black man, could no longer function under white guidelines and had...

Words: 1627 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Freedom of Religion

...external factors that dominate ordinary democratic processes and because of the forces applied by the geopolitical and economic forces of the day. The essay will show this by illustrating often controversial and disputed examples of violation on religious freedom in France, Saudi Arabia and Burma (Maynamar) and testing the principles of UDHR on those cases whilst also considering the socio-economic and political drivers. Simply defining human rights and its elements can be complex. This is shown in the minor disagreement between the drafters of the UDHR as described later below. This essay will also use the European Convention of Human Rights and UN Resolution 36/55 - UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief as a yard stick to also measure and show religious intolerance in the above cases. Drafting UDHR The end of the Second World War ushered in a period global self-reflection at the horror inflicted on millions of...

Words: 2172 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Islamophobic Beliefs

...Positive Survey 13 Non Muslim perception of Islam in the West 13 Non Muslim perception of Islam in the West 15 Non Muslim perception of Islam in the west 20 Non Muslim perception of Islam in the west 23 Communication scale 28 Islamophobia scale 29 Design 30 Participants 30 Materials 30 Procedure 30 Analysis 31 Potential applications 33 Limitations and future directions 34 Conclusion 36 References 37 Abstract This research study will aim to measure the Islamophobic beliefs in non-Muslim people living in the West in multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith societies such as London. To conduct this study, I will be replicating a study that has been produced by Everett et al (2015) called ‘Covered in Stigma? I will be conducting this research project to test Non-Muslim responses towards Muslim appearing people such as men in traditional clothes, beards and women in head coverings. I will use quantitative analysis to test my hypothesis, using two questionnaires, the Islamophobia scale and the Communication Scale as well as images of Muslim men and women in Islamic clothing depicted in an affirmative light or a poorly to prime participants beforehand. Introduction Prejudice and inequity towards the Muslim community has risen largely over the last few years. There is great proof indicating that Muslims are experiencing different categories of prejudice and discrimination (Pew Research Centre, 2007)...

Words: 6742 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Islam vs the Rest of the World

... There have been great strides in recent years to reduce discrimination and prejudice towards minority groups that are of a culturally different background than the dominant, more accepted groups and there is still a long way to go to meet total equality. While it is true there have been many improvements for some cultures in recent years, the opposite is true for those of the Muslim decent. Since the terrorist attacks starting from September 11 and since then, Muslims and those of the Islamic faith have been unfairly stereotyped negatively as demons and as many as 46 percent of Americans view the group as a whole as having terrorist tendencies. (Deane, Fears 2006) Not only are their religious practices criticized and viewed negatively, but nearly every other action they commit is thought to be “suspicious”, from the way they dress, to the way they talk, how they practice their religion, and how women are viewed and treated in their culture. Some view their form of lifestyle to be geared towards hatred and violence, with every action being held under a microscope and criticized. They can’t even get on an airplane in present time without being thought a terrorist who has a plot to overtake the plane and perform an act of mass destruction. Every time they travel the majority of travelers of non-Muslim decent around them will undoubtedly think that they are plotting an attack. These assumptions that are placed upon Muslims are unfair and were brought on by the...

Words: 2356 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Rastarians and Muslims

...| Rastafarians & Muslims | Critical Analysis | | Jedaila Astwood | 9/18/2013 | There are many things that stand out in the world as we have come to know today. As time changes so do the world, our societies are now modern and complex. These societies have majority and minority groups of people. A minority group can be defining as the physical appearance and cultural practices that are different from those of a dominant group. Very often unequal treatment is bestowed upon the minority groups. There are a number of minority groups for example; racial, ethnic, gender, age, sexuality, people with disabilities and religious minorities. In this essay, I will discuss the similarities and differences between the Rastafarians and Muslims, and their struggle of assimilation and dominance. “Islam is the proper name to use when referring to the religion practiced by Muslims. It is an Arabic word that means two things: to surrender your will to God and to acquire peace in your soul. The legitimacy of using this word comes from the Muslim Holy Book, the Qur’an; and it is the only name Muslims use to refer to their religion” (Emerick, 2002). Research by Emerick (2002) states the five pillars of Islam are; Shahadah declaring allegiance to God, Salat daily prayer, Zakat annual charity, Saum month-long fasting, Hajj the pilgrimage to Mecca. According to Muslims, in order to become a Muslim you must believe and practice the five pillars of Islam. Arguably, the central theme...

Words: 1687 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Eth 125 Appendix D

...University of Phoenix Material Appendix D Part I Define the following terms: |Term |Definition | |Ethnic group |A group of people who identify with each other by way of language, heritage, culture and religion | |Anti-Semitism |Suspicion of, hatred toward, or discriminating against the Jewish community | |Islamophobia |Describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or Muslims | |Xenophobia |An unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange | |Persecution |The systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group | |Religious group |A subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, trandition and identity. | Part II Select at least 1 religious and 1 ethnic group not your own from the list below. Religious groups (based on http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf) Christianity Evangelical Protestant Mainline Protestant Historically Black Churches Roman Catholic Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) Jehovah’s Witnesses Orthodox (Greek, Eastern) Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform) Buddhism (Theravada or Mahayana) Islam (Sunni, Shia...

Words: 2645 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Divercity

...Di Wu 2010–06–04 Chapter 6 native Americans In this chapter, we learn about history and development of Native American. This chapter consist of three parts , history of native; how federal polices effect on native American ; what situation the native American in today. After reading this chapter, I think racism is a very painful problem in the United States. of the first acts of racism in American was against the Native Americans. At first, the Native Americans were the Europeans’ friends. The Native Americans showed the Europeans how to farm, hunt and live off the land in this new America. As time went by and the Europeans became comfortable, they no longer need the Native American people. The Native American people were in the way, they had land that the growing population of the Europeans wanted and needed. This was the start of many treaties that the American Government would make the Native people, and the start for racism against them. Out of all the treaties that the American Government made with the Native People, they kept all of them, but the United States only kept half of the treaties. For federal policies, American government gives an immense amount of respect to such diverse cultures and groups, but where is the respect for the Indians. When the United States first became an independent nation, it adopted the European policies towards these native peoples, but over the course of two centuries the U.S. adapted its own widely varying policies regarding the changing...

Words: 2208 - Pages: 9