Essay “Infidel”

With all of its good intentions, people attempting to swoop in and ‘rescue’ Muslim women from what they believe to be an oppressive and violent culture, is actually doing more harm than good. In the novel, Do Muslim Women Need Saving?, Lila Abu-Lughod explores how this type of sympathetic aid from these seemingly superior, progressive, Western countries can reinforce negative stereotypes about women in the place she calls IslamLand (an overarching and ignorant term for where all Muslims reside). The author investigates the consequences of this post 9/11 concern about Muslim women in government and in the media. She explains how the power of choice is relative, Muslim women’s

The “mold of a Muslim post 9/11 was anyone fitting the description of a Muslim, which was wearing a hijab for women and wearing a turban for men. If you went to a mosque, which was the Muslim house of worship, you were considered a Muslim. Anyone who fit that “mold” had a red flag put on them. For example, Rasha and her family were arrested and detained by the FBI in the middle of the night, “because they were being investigated for possible terrorism connections” (21). Due to the heightened level of security after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 committed by Muslim extremist; this family was targeted because of their religious beliefs. Ironically, the Muslim extremism that the terrorists of 9/11 depicted was a direct contrast of the true core Muslim values of honesty and compassion that Muslims are taught in their families. For instance, when she was young, Rasha’s parents taught her “the simple values of honesty, compassion and protecting her honor” (17). Readers can see that Rasha’s family valued their Muslim heritage and brought her up to value them as

The religion of Islam has become a controversial issue in today’s 21st century. In spite of excessively negative representations by Western propaganda, increasing numbers of the population are pursuing to learn more about the wonderful religion of Islam. More frequently than not, these people are becoming more pleasantly startled by the product of their exploration. In fact, increasing numbers of people are embracing Islam nowadays then they did prior to the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001; which evoked much attention to misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. Yet, there does endure an abundant amount of misconception and misinterpretations about Islam, frequently invigorated by political policies which reckon their interest’s to patronage Islam 's enemies. Islam is a religion which elucidates the way of life and is the second largest religion after Christianity, with approximately one-fifth of the world 's population and is currently the fastest growing religion. Muslims are existent all around the world and come from diverse nationalities, cultures and races. However, Islam instills that all people are principally equal no matter the differences (colour, class, culture, etc.) as long as they are peaceful and law-abiding citizens. The behaviour of particular erroneous groups or individuals outside mainstream Islam cannot be accredited to Islamic beliefs and practices as correspondingly hostility in North Ireland or illegal mafia activities being attributed

The latest hot topic when it comes to the Republican candidates for the presidential election is Muslims. From Donald Trump saying we have a “Muslim problem”, to Ben Carson saying Muslims are unfit for office, the attack on Muslims has been a big subject. In this New York Times editorial “The Republican Attack on Muslims”, the author talks about how recently the Republicans were not the nicest when it comes to the Muslim community. Recently, Donald Trump has hinted towards his dislike for Muslims. In a recent interview, the interviewer stated that “we have a problem in this country, it’s called Muslims”, and that our President (who is an American-born Christian) is also a Muslim. When the interviewer asked Mr. Trump when we would get rid of them, he said “We’re going to be looking into that.” Donald Trump has also stated that he thinks Muslims were behind the World Trade Center attacks, which is not true.

Evelyn Alsultany takes a different approach to the oppression of Muslim women that the U.S. portrayed in the media to fuel the War on Terror and analyses that the U.S. portrayed Islam as backwards and an uncivilized culture. Alsultany analyzes published stories and news shows on CNN, NBC, CBS, and Fox after the 9/11 attacks and concludes that these news stations used women’s oppression and linked it with terrorist attacks because they conveyed that Muslim men hated the West’s cultural ideals of women being free and wanted to impose Islam on the West. The media portrays women’s veiled oppression, female genital mutilation, honour killings, and women being beaten as they did not dress properly as the nature of Islam’s backwardness and

America was founded on upon the ideals of being a melting pot of various races, religions, and ethnic origins. Hundreds of years ago, this county provided hope and opportunity to the rest of the world’s poor and oppressed. And each of those factions has contributed to the United States’ welfare in some way, shape, or form since the beginning. But today Americans face new fears that have stirred up old ways of thinking which may disrupt the pursuit of life and liberty for all in the land of the free. Republican front runner, Donald Trump, has hatched an inflammatory plan to ban an entire group of people from entry into this county basically throwing out the whole cart as a result of a few very bad apples. But this plan to ban all Muslims is an overreaction without regard to the minority extremists found throughout the populace. Muslims should not be banned from the United States because America has always been a

This was the day in which a boy named Gavin was the first of many to associate my last name and distinct features with the war in the Middle East as he proceeded to accuse me, my family, and my religion for the collapse of the World Trade Center. Gone was the once scorching flicker of pride in my belly as the label “terrorist” dripped off the edge of his lips—smothering the flames and filling my heart with smoke. I was no longer captivated by the beauty woven into the stories of my mother and father’s past, and was instead humiliated to be seen, heard, and known as the foreign child with an identity that did not belong. In place of self-love, I found diffidence, as I concealed my mother tongue and removed my hijab at a time when every other Muslima had the courage to keep hers on. This cowardice mentality that left my soul hidden and my body aching with fear of rejection latched on for nearly five years. It wasn’t until around seven months ago, when I finally discovered the spark that would allow me to fall madly in love with my identity and ignite my inner flame once

Wherever we are and in whatever time we happen to live, we cannot avoid asking the basic questions of who we are, where we came from, what we are doing here, and where we are going. In everyone's life, especially when one is young, these basic questions arise in the mind, often with force, and demand answers from us. Many simply push them aside or remain satisfied with established answers provided by others in their family or community. In traditional societies such answers always came from the teachings of religion, and to a great extent they still do for the majority of people in many parts of the world. But there have always been and still are today the few who take the question "who am I?" seriously and existentially and who are not satisfied with answers provided by others. Rather, they seek to find the

It is typical for Americans and the world in general to judge people from North Africa, particularly Arabs. This they do without actually walking in their shoes and living their lives. In particular, after the wave of terrorism that hit the United States and the world at large since the turn of the century, there has been a negative perception towards North Africans and the Arab world at large. It is for this reason that Julia Clancy-smith took a trip to Algeria and Tunisia in order to give the world an unbiased view of the world in which North Africans live (Clancy-Smith 50). The author focused on the political and religious actions of those considered the Muslim and their followers. Additionally, she gives a detailed analysis of the accommodation and resistance to the colonial rule. She rejects the popular position that Tunisians and Algerians were victims of colonial aggression from the west and argued instead that Muslim notables actually understood the complications of the outside world and were therefore, able to manipulate the changes that were taking place around them. This paper is focused on reviewing this book in the context of the twenty first century.

Although they bear some superficial difference, the similarities between Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn story, "Is Islam Misogynistic?" and Anna Vanzan, "The Women of Allah: A Personal Journey Through Islamic Feminisms " are clear, both reveal issues concerning Muslim’s cultural and religion norms depriving women of their equality.

‘Muslim Girls and the Other France’ might be one of the fastest book that I ever read. It took me two days to go through the whole content starting with the forward up to the Epilogue. Keaton’s style is so engaging; builds strong connections and sequences the events masterfully. Her way of presenting the case and the multi-dimension argumentations synthesized through the chapters of the book are deep and illuminating. She collects bits and pieces of the tales of group of individuals with specific cultural, religious, social, and economic backgrounds to make a pressing human rights issue that goes beyond their specific characterizations or classifications to encompass human sufferings in various contexts.

In this essay I will be concluding what I have learned through-out the course from the text. I will be discussing how “Islamophobia” played a big part in each lesson, though it wasn’t highly stated in the first few readings, I believe it was a constant theme. Lastly, I will be addressing a “persona” I felt that was throughout the in-class discussions, and readings about “US” (Americans) vs “THEM” (Muslims).

Before someone has even opened their mouth, we have most probably already manifested their entire character into our minds, and it would be difficult for them to change our opinion of them. Stereotyping is often inevitable, as it is human nature to want to know more about a stranger – to not be in the dark – so as to feel safer and in control. However, it puts labels on how a person should act or live in accordance to the generalisation of a group of people. Society is superficial, and one should not judge the value of something by its outer appearance. In “Mr Van Gogh”, the stereotype that one’s appearance directly correlates with all of their attributes and characteristics is dismissed.

A great artist once wrote, “If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced”. This artist was Vincent van Gogh, soon to be an appraised artist known all around the world for his works, such as Starry Night. He is one of the very first artists of the post-impressionist style than is now adored in every continent. However, there is much more to the man than one painting. Creating a full timeline that stretches beyond Gogh’s life, this paper will discuss the life of Vincent van Gogh and the impression he made on the world.

Over thousands of years Arab’s and Jewish civilizations have made deep historical roots in Palestine along with many emotional attachments. At the end of the 19th century Arab nationalism and political Zionism were starting to steak claims to the same land. These two groups would start the fire for what will become civil wars, bitter disputes, and lasting relations though the 20th century. The British wanting to break the chocolate and also pick their piece would try to settle disputes in the Middle East so that they could lay claims to the natural resources of the land. In doing this the British would double deal and both sides would be left with nothing (Khouri). The Problems in the Middle East have been going on for centuries creating a large puzzle that will never reveal a picture of harmony.