Discrimination toward Muslims

Growing up, I went to a predominantly white, Christian public school and felt like an outcast. Kids made me feel like I didn’t belong and always ask questions like “Do you have hair? Do you shower with that thing on? Aren’t you hot?” Although their questions made me feel like I don’t belong, I never hesitated to wear my hijab.

Even though these types of situations happened in school, the outside world proved far worse. I’ve had several encounters with racists telling my family to “Go back to your country!” or using slurs and glaring at us when we walk into a fancy restaurant.

Islam to me is my way of life. We are supposed to be kind to others and not kill others, yet people treat Islam as if it’s some foreign, unethical religion that’s based on terrorism. People don’t understand that Islam is very similar to Christianity and Judaism. We believe in one God, and we believe in many of the same prophets as Christians do. When a Christian woman is covering her hair and her body, she is considered to be devoted to God, but when a Muslim woman covers, she’s considered oppressed. These stereotypical views have made people, especially the youth, view us as monsters.

Islamophobia has become a huge issue since 9/11 and is still expanding. As a result of the event, innocent Muslims are continually abused both physically and verbally. However, additional wars and events have happened in the name of religion, such as KKK attacks on blacks and Jews by burning crosses and the Crusades. Despite these kinds of horrific events that went down in history, society primarily affiliates danger and fear surrounding the Muslim community.

When Islam was first introduced in the seventh century, it spread like wildfire. The religion’s rapid spread shows how people accepted it and appreciated the positive influence it had on their lives. Its initial acceptance prompted followers to preach it to a vast audience and further establish its ideology to those willing to listen. The idea of Islam meaning terrorism is so illogical because there are approximately two billion Muslims in the world. If all Muslims were terrorists, what makes you think you’d stand a chance?